The fickle games we play
by Fezzes
Summary: This story starts where season 7 left off. Alternative Universe. Darvey.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters.

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The next morning Harvey woke up slightly hungover. Therefore it was only after he took inventory of the aches that accompanied such a state that he took notice of the position he was in. He wasn't alone. His nose was buried in tresses of long hair that were still emitting faint traces of a feminine perfume. Opening his eyes, all Harvey saw was a sea of red. Strawberry red. _Donna_. He was spooning her, both of them in the same state of undress, with the bedsheets only haphazardly covering their nakedness. In addition to that, his right arm was pinning her shapely backside right into his groin. This part of him had already gotten the memo that there was a lovely naked woman in bed with him and stood at full attention. Great.

Blinking the last remnants of sleep from his eyes Harvey carefully withdrew his arm, checking if she took notice. Nope, Donna was still asleep. Carefully scooting away from her warm body he moved the sheets to cover her fully before sitting up against the headboard. They were at his place, in his bed. A trail of discarded clothes led from the bed right up to the kitchen counter where two used glasses and an empty bottle of scotch stood. Now the memories from last night came flooding back to him. Coming back from Chicago just in time for the wedding. Mike and Rachel's decision to move to Seattle. Dancing with Donna.

At first they had been moving playfully along the upbeat songs the DJ was playing before he drew her close when a number of slower songs came up. Harvey remembered feeling wonderfully intoxicated by the smell of her hair and the feel of his hand on her back. When she complained about her feet hurting he guided her towards the bar, ordering them drinks. His hand never left hers as they drank, talked and laughed, completely infected by the joyful atmosphere around them.

Harvey remembered feeling anchored by her hand holding his tightly as they watched their newlywed best friends drive off into the night. He couldn't quite pinpoint at which point their innocent handholding had morphed into intimate caresses, but he remembered the vibrant smile she gave him when his hand traced the delicate straps on the back of her gown as they waited for a cab to pick them up. He had offered to drive by her place first to drop her off, but the motion of her hand that was drawing lazy circles on his thigh and the way his nose ghosted over the delicate skin of her neck as he breathed in the sweet smell of her perfume suggested otherwise. He could feel her smirk rather than see it as she asked „Are you sure that's what you want?"

They barely made it inside his condo before giving into the desire that had built up between them throughout the evening, making is at far as the kitchenette before succumbing to their lust. Pushing and pulling at each other, hurriedly removing only the most restricting items of clothing he took her right on his kitchen counter, pressing his hips into hers as her heels dug into his buttocks and her hands clawed at his back. They had both come undone quickly and it felt like a sudden discharge of long-suppressed pent-up feelings between them.

Half-naked and on a post-coital high they had settled for another round of scotch in comfortable silence before slowly and sensually resuming just where they had left off, their remaining clothes being discarded on the way to his bedroom. This time they made love slowly and Harvey took his time mapping her body with his lips, refreshing his mind with the image of her magnificent body and how he remembered it from 13 years ago. She was still perfect. They had both gotten older, more experienced, a little less playful, but just like last time he was surprised just how well they were matched in bed, just like they were at work. Donna was simply something else and Harvey spent the rest of the night showing her just how aware of this fact he was.

Now that the alcohol-induced courage and the romantic flair of a beautiful wedding ceremony had worn off, Harvey felt the hard truths of reality back on his shoulders. Just a few weeks ago Donna had outright told him she didn't carry any romantic feelings for him. Or did she? She was the one to initiate the kiss after all. After this night he was unconvinced she told him the truth. Someone who did not feel anything but friendship for another wouldn't have acted like this. Last night had been a whole rollercoaster of feelings Harvey hadn't even known could run so deep within him. However, what shocked him most of all that he didn't behave like someone who didn't _want more_.

After heading to the bathroom to freshen up, Harvey picked a pair of boxers, pyjama pants and cotton shirt from his dresser and put them on. Opting for a glass of water to get the foul taste of an alcohol-filled night out of his mouth, he saw Donna stir from the corner of his eyes. Filling a second glass as well, he carried them over to the bed.

"Hey." He greeted her softly as her eyes blinked open.

"Hey. Good morning." Donna's voice sounded rough with sleep. Holding the bedsheets securely around her chest she sat up against the headboard she gave him a grateful smile as she accepted the glass her held out to her as he seated himself on the other side of the bed.

"So, rough night, huh?" he quipped playfully as she attempted to straighten out her disheveled tresses of hair with one hand.

"I've had worse." She replied, giving up on her hair and finishing the glass of water. "Do you mind if I take a quick shower?" she asked, but was already wrapping the sheets tighter around her middle as she got up. She almost sounded shy thought Harvey, for the business-mode Donna would have unapologetically grabbed some clothes from his dresser and be done with it without even asking. He supposed she was just as unsure about the current code of conduct as he was.

It was silly actually. He had women over before. He was certain she's spent her fair share of nights in other men's beds as well, so where did this uncertainness come from? _'Because she's different.'_ A nagging voice in the back of his head told him.

"Uhm, yeah sure." He said, "There's towels in the white cabinet next to the sink". He moved towards his dresser and begun rummaging through the drawers before selecting some grey drawstring jogging pants and a long sleeved red Harvard shirt. "Here. I figure you don't feel like putting the gown back on this morning."

"Thanks Harvey", Donna said as she accepted the offered clothes while still keeping hold of the bedsheet that was wrapped around her middle. Their fingers brushed against each other for just a moment and Harvey felt another jolt of nervousness in the pit of his stomach.

"You go ahead and shower and I'll make us both some coffee, because honestly I don't think I have anything else to offer for breakfast." He rambled. _Gosh_. Harvey Specter didn't ramble.

"That's fine. I'll just be a minute", Donna replied before closing the bathroom door behind her.

It wasn't long until Harvey heard the sound of running water and decided to busy himself with cleaning up and making coffee. He picked up their clothes and carefully folded Donna's dress before placing her garments next to her discarded purse on one of the kitchen chairs. 'This is the first time I don't have to ask the woman how she likes her coffee' mused Harvey as her prepared her cup. Skim milk, no sugar and a splash of vanilla was her usual choice whenever she didn't guilt him or Mike into bringing her some frivolous caramel latte whatever from the coffee cart outside the office building.

However, unlike his knowledge about how Donna preferred her coffee, Harvey was at a loss as how to address what happened between them last night. Was this a one-time occurrence? Would she call it a mistake and refer to her rule? As managing partner, he was technically still her boss. Or maybe this would be the start of something new? Was this the beginning of a romantic relationship? He had so many questions and she was sure that sooner or later Donna would fling all of those questions at him as well. Unfortunately for Harvey, he didn't know how to answer any of them.

It wasn't long until Donna emerged from his bathroom dressed in the clothes he gave her. "Sorry I took so long – my hair was a mess." She said joining him at the kitchen island. Rummaging through her purse she found an elastic and tied her wet hair into a messy bun at the back of her head.

They sat in an awkward silence, both quietly sipping their morning coffee. Looking uncomfortable, Donna pulled her phone from the purse and started skimming through the pop-up messages on the screen. Harvey had the feeling she was trying not to meet his eyes.

"We should head to the office today. There's still lots to discuss about the merger." She told him while still reading through her messages.

"Yeah, I was actually planning to head there later. I still need to get on top of what exactly Louis promised Robert Zane." Harvey replied. He wondered if he should say something. He enjoyed last night. He enjoyed Donna's company in general and he still didn't know what to label his feelings for her- but last night felt _simply right_. If Donna was ignoring what happened and he wouldn't say anything, would they simply ignore this night like they did "the other time"?

"Donna, I-… We…" he trailed off, not even knowing how to form the right words. Damn, why was it so damn hard for him to tell her what he wants?

She looked at him then, her gaze searching his facial features as if to assess the situation at hand. "Harvey," she started finally, also seemingly searching for the right words to say, "whenever you and I find ourselves in a… _situation_ … where I ask myself what kind of a relationship the two of us truly have, you always find a way to simply _dismiss_ things."

Harvey felt the need to protest immediately, but he stopped himself, clenching his jaw instead. Donna was right, like he knew she always was. They had talked about their relationship before, or at least tried to. Every time he had chickened out by either refusing to answer her questions, downplaying his own slip-ups, or even blatantly lying to her.

"-So, I'm just going to say I really had a great time last night, Harvey. And for once, I don't want to discuss it, because honestly I'm not ready to hear whatever excuse you have in order to make it not mean anything."

"Donna-" Harvey said, giving her a pleading look.

"Stop right there." Donna looked at him intently and Harvey took a moment to truly look at her. With wet hair, bare-faced with her freckles showing and pale lashes framing her dark eyes she looked entirely different than the perfectly sculptured superwoman who marched through the offices of Specter Litt as if she owned them. It was as if she had taken off a mask, showing the vulnerability beneath. "Thank you for the coffee, Harvey. I think I'll just head home now."

"No!" Harvey nearly shouted. He felt his throat getting tighter and his right hand kept and iron grip around his empty coffee mug.

"Excuse me?" Donna asked aggravated.

"You don't get to leave! You accuse me of dismissing things, but it's you who's walking away every damn single time!" he pressed out, hoping the anxiety wasn't too apparent on his face.

Donna's gaze softened. "Harvey, I'm not _walking away_. I'm heading home and I'll see you later at the office." She gently squeezed his lower arm and Harvey could feel the tension on his body ease significantly.

"Yeah, I'll see you later." He replied and accompanied her to his front door.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you everyone for your kind words. This is, of course, a work in progress and I hope to be able to update this regularly. Criticism is always welcome, especially since I'm not a native English writer._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

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Donna prided herself with her ability to keep up appearances at any given time. It had been a week since the wedding and the night that followed after and she and Harvey had been successful at keeping their business dynamic separate from recent events. She wasn't sure if it was only for appearance sake or if it was another way of dismissing that night once again, but for now she was okay with how things were. This, she could deal with.

Harvey, Louis and Robert Zane had been busy butting heads about anything and everything. Names, offices, budgets, partners and clients - It was a mess. In the end she had to do some reverse voodoo to make Harvey realize he would be happier without the burden of being managing partner. Thankfully Robert Zane had not questioned her role in this firm. She wondered if she had Rachel to thank for that, but for now she was glad not to have to fight for her position as COO once again. She was finally in a place where she was happy with her career and could finally make peace with her choice to stay with Harvey instead of pursuing her original dreams of becoming an actress on Broadway.

 _Harvey_. At first she hadn't even realized she had given up her dream career in order to be his secretary in the long run. It must have been sometime between Stephen and the Liberty Rail case that she slowly realized that it weren't entirely professional reasons or even their friendship that cemented her decision. No, Ms. _I'm-not-into-you-I'm-Donna_ had, somewhere along the way, hopelessly fallen in love with her boss. It must have been the way Harvey had matured during his time as a senior partner. It had been easier to let go of romantic notions even after the other time when Harvey had been overly confident, self-centered, cocky and sometimes even ruthless. She remembered once telling Rachel that back then, Harvey wouldn't have been ready for a relationship and she still believed that this was true. But now? Sure, Harvey was still as confident and cocky as always, but he was less egoistical and sometimes he'd even let a streak of compassion show, especially towards the people he cared about. This was new, and Donna couldn't help but be completely enthralled by it.

So it stung when Harvey told her he loved her one night, ran off and then explained he did it only out of pity. Later on, when Harvey confessed he was seeing his therapist of all people, it did no longer only sting, it felt like a punch in the gut. How could she have been so blind? Donna should have known that kissing him out of the blue would jumble up their friendship and despite the fact that they had agreed that things were "back to normal", they both knew they weren't. Not after the kiss and definitely not after Harvey chose her over his relationship with Paula. This was probably the reason why she was reluctant to address the night of their best friends' wedding. _Donna, you're a coward. A stupid, lovesick coward._

When the screen of her laptop suddenly turned black Donna realized she had been daydreaming. It was late, and the floor was nearly deserted already. Not quite deserted though, she could hear Harvey rummaging through his office. Tomorrow, he would be switching back to the other corner office – this time without her. Her feet led her to his door almost by their own accord and for a moment she stood there watching him prepare boxes for his personal belongings.

"I thought I hired you an assistant to do these things for you", she finally said.

"Ashleigh comes in at 8 and leaves at 5, on the dot, every damn single day. Never mind my schedule. I'm gonna have to let her go." Harvey replied, without turning away from his boxes.

"On what terms? Working exactly the stipulated hours expected of an assistant? You already let Melissa go for not handing you files the very moment you snip your fingers." Donna countered.

"You know I blame you for raising the bar to impossible standards. I'll never be able to keep another assistant for longer than a few weeks." Finally Harvey turned to look at her. Donna thought he looked handsome without his jacket and tie and the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to the elbows.

She couldn't help but smile at his statement. "So… Do you think you'll be okay moving to the other side of the floor all by yourself?"

"I don't think I can convince you to be COO from your old cubicle, could I?" Harvey suggested, giving her a playful smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Harvey." Donna gave him a pointed look, taking a few steps into his direction until they were facing each other. "I haven't been your secretary in a while, but I was still sitting no more than 15 feet from you. Last time that wasn't the case you didn't handle things so well, so I was just-"

"Donna." He interrupted her, "I'm not Linus, and you're not my security blanket. I can handle it." He looked away from her, as if uncomfortable about the direction this conversation was heading. "I had just started to think of that office as Mike's." he added softly after a short pause and continued to pack the content of his desk drawers into one of the boxes.

"It's different without them here, isn't it?" Donna mused as she leaned against Harvey's desk. She, too, missed her best friend. Rachel would have been able to help sort out her feelings.

"First Jessica, then Mike and Rachel as well. This whole place is changing - I don't like it." He admitted.

"Louis is still here. And I am too – even if it won't be within shouting distance." Donna knew of course that Harvey wasn't doing well with changes, especially when they concerned the people most prominently featured in his life.

Donna watched Harvey as he packed, until he stopped at one item, carefully weighing it in his hands. She looked up in his eyes as he moved towards her.

"I guess I can put most of my things where they used to be just a few months ago, so at least that won't feel like a change." He said, looking down at the object in his hand. It was then Donna saw it was the spare key to his condo. "I figure the keys should go where they used to be as well, if you don't mind?" he asked almost hopefully. "I mean I _could_ give them to Ashleigh, but I thought…"

"Oh, shut up." Donna smiled at him despite the lump that formed in her throat as she accepted the keys from him. For a moment his hand brushed hers and it sent a jolt of electricity through her. She fiddled with the key in her hands as she looked into his eyes. For a moment they stood there in his semi-dark office, illuminated only by the desk lamp and the city lights, just looking at each other.

"Harvey…" "Donna," they started at the same time and Donna decided to let Harvey start first.

"I don't know what it is that we are doing here and I-" he trailed off for a moment "I just want you to know that I don't regret what we did the other night. I have been thinking about what you said about being _dismissing_ about it and I want you to know that I don't want to do that. Not anymore. Not with _you_."

Donna could just look at him and for a moment she forgot what she wanted to say in the first place. She hadn't been expecting _this_ , so she looked to Harvey to elaborate.

Harvey, however, seemed to be at a loss of words as well. "So yeah, that's what I've been wanting to say."

Donna's shoulders fell. She had hoped he'd tell her more about how he felt. He didn't want to dismiss their night together, so far so good. But what did would that mean for them? Was this a 'It was a great night, let's do it again' or a 'I don't regret this night, but this was a one-time slip up' event? Donna knew better than to ask this questions out loud. He would feel backed into a corner and revert to old habits.

"Thanks Harvey, it means a lot. Goodnight." She said instead, instantly knowing she was taking the easy way out again. Giving him a small smile, she left his office.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys, here's the next update just in time for the weekend. I just saw 8.10 and it had sa scene in it that I had thought of in a very similar manner for this story using different characters. Funny coincidence. Not sure if I'll go that way anymore. I hope you'll enjoy today's banter, because that's what Darvey does best. It's a little short, but I promise there'll be longer ones coming. The length of the chapters will vary a bit as I try to alternate between Harvey's and Donna's point of view. Reviews are always greatly appreciated!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

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Harvey glanced at the empty cubicle in front of his office. 5.05pm - figures. He sighed. Ashleigh could have at least asked if there was still anything that needed to be done. Thinking of the deadline on the papers before him he sighed. Time to suck up to Gretchen. He gathered his papers and walked towards Louis' office. Sure enough, at least _his_ secretary was still busy at her desk.

"Gretchen, don't you look lovely today?" he greeted her in a playfully flirty tone.

The woman in question looked at him over the rim of her reading glasses in a nonplussed matter. "With all due respect, Mr. Specter, I'm not picking up Ashleigh's slack. _Again_."

"Please, Gretchen, these need to be filed today, otherwise we have another lawsuit at our hands. You know I only come to you because you are _the best_." Harvey tried again to give her a charming smile.

"Nope. I'm afraid I can't help you Mr. Specter. Try your line on Red here and let my finish the work _my_ boss needs to be done by the end of the day." She said and returned her attention to her computer screen.

Upon hearing Donna's commonly used nickname in the firm he turned around to see her approaching Gretchen's desk as well. Harvey hadn't seen her all day as he was stuck in meetings concerning his case until well into the afternoon. As usual, Donna was a sight to behold in a form fitting teal sheath dress and killer heels.

"Donna, don't _you_ look lovely today?" he said repeating the line, which caused Gretchen to huff in annoyance and Donna to raise her eyebrow in question at him.

"How many women have you tried to flatter into doing Ashleigh's work today, Harvey?" she asked teasingly, instantly calling his bluff.

"Does Cameron count? I was just stating the truth, Donna. There's nothing wrong with that and if I remember correctly _you_ were the one who told me to stick with Ashleigh even if she's useless." He challenged her. Banter was the only thing that could distract him from the memory of her writhing beneath him in bed that was coming to the forefront of his mind whenever he looked at her. God, when did that happen? Sure, Donna was a very attractive woman but in the past he hadn't looked at her _that_ way. No, that wasn't actually true, but in the past it wasn't the first thing that came into his mind whenever he saw her. He wouldn't have been able to work with her for 13 years if that was the case – it was awfully distracting. For most of that time she had been his partner in crime for pretty much every aspect of life – except _that_.

It was probably the physical separation from her, Harvey told himself. Donna had warned him about this. Even after she became Chief Operating Officer she had been in an office right next to his, which wasn't so different from their prior arrangements. They saw each other frequently. Hell, she even answered his phone whenever his assistant wasn't in – even if it was no longer her job to do so. Now, he rarely saw her more than once or twice a day unless there was a partner meeting they both attended. 'It must be withdrawal' he thought, that made him think of her that way. _You're thinking of her that way because it was her legs wrapped around your hips while you had the best sex of your life._

"Earth to Harvey!" Donna said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Wow, you were miles away, mister!" she exclaimed as his eyes found hers once more. "Are you done daydreaming? I said I agree that Ashleigh isn't doing her job properly. I will talk to her, and if she doesn't upgrade her work ethic, she'll go, okay?" she gave him a crooked smile as she said it and all he could do was focus on the softness of her lips. He was screwed.

"If you think that'll help – be my guest." Harvey replied. "Now, have you got a solution for my files as well?"

This time it was Gretchen who decided to contribute to the conversation. "You see Red, that's all your fault. You've mollycoddled him and Louis far too much. Can't do their own copies, can't send out their own letters, don't even know how to properly use their damn phones. That's all on you."

"Thanks Gretchen. I appreciate the input." Donna told the elder woman before holding her hand out to Harvey.

"Cough 'em up." She said in a no-nonsense manner.

Harvey handed her his papers and couldn't help but to follow her like a puppy as she turned on her heels and walked towards the mailroom. Her dress had a full back zipper, he realized as he watched her hips sway as she walked. _God, he was so screwed._

In the otherwise deserted mailroom, Donna rummaged through a few boxes, before producing a paper envelope and a label for the bike messenger service the firm usually worked with. He'd seen those before.

"So these go to Winston at 26th?" Donna asked him while skimming through his files. Harvey nodded as he watched Donna take her silly multi-color pen (where did she produce that one from?) and started filling in the blanks on the label. He couldn't help but notice how close she was standing as she was bent over the table, fully concentrated on her task. If he'd just reach out…

"Harvey? What are you doing?" Donna asked and Harvey removed the fingers that were caressing the side of her hip as if burnt. Without straightening up, she gave him a sly look over her shoulder.

"Tell me, how long has it been since your last sensitivity training?" she asked, but Harvey could instantly tell that she wasn't angry with him at all.

"Sorry, you look very distracting today." Harvey whispered.

"As opposed to any other day? I hope you haven't been going around groping other people who were willing to help you. Because if that's the case, it would be entirely your fault that no one is helping you out anymore." She turned around then, standing right in front of him. Challenging him.

"Donna-, it's just… _I miss you_." There. He said it. "And I still don't know what to do about it."

Donna looked at him intently. "I have an idea. Why don't you do what most men do when they want to spend more time with a woman?" she suggested, giving him a smile.

"What do you mean?" Harvey mumbled confused.

"I mean you could ask that woman for a proper date. That's what people do when they like spending time together. Here," she said, handing him the envelope. "You call this number," she said pointing at the right corner of the label, "and tell them ZSL has a package that needs picking up tonight. You can leave it by the front desk." She then turned to leave the room.

"Wait, Donna." Harvey called after her.

"Yes, Harvey?" she answered turning around to look at him again.

"If the woman in question is known to have a strict rule about dating people from work, would she still say yes?" he asked carefully.

"I think she would, Harvey. I think she would." She said softly before walking out the door smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry it took a little longer to update. I was tossing back on forth content and then two nights ago I had this idea for a whole new story altogether which I had to write a vague outline for before I could forget. I'll apologize in advance for stopping this chapter where I did, but sometimes I think things play out better in our imagination than on written paper. Thanks for the reviews I got so far, they really motivate me to keep going!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

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Donna arrived at her desk bright and early on a Wednesday morning. Now that the restructuring process was nearly at an end with all its exit- and onboarding interviews, budget approvals, office reassignments she finally had time to focus on her day to day work. However, one issue still kept distracting her. Harvey.

It was two days since their encounter in the mailroom. She couldn't quite fathom what had possessed her to flirt with Harvey so openly. But then again, hadn't it been the other way around? Donna was sure it was the way Harvey looked at her that emboldened her to act this way. The moment she felt Harvey's hand caressing her hip she knew that she wasn't the only one affected by their close proximity. She was glad that it was Harvey who decided to address the elephant in the room. After all, she gave him a promise after that ill-fated kiss in her office. _It's never going to happen again_. No, the ball was in his corner now. She couldn't be the one to make the first move.

She had harbored the idea of them testing out the waters of their affection for each other outside of _Zane Specter Litt_ ever since that night. It was clear by now that they were mutually sexually attracted to each other – there was no other explanation for their recent behavior. She was, however, still unsure if they were ready to have a fully committed relationship. They would need to work this out and the offices on the 50thfloor were not the ideal place to do so.

Scanning through her calendar on her laptop she suddenly saw a meeting request for Friday night pop up. It was from Harvey. Looking up from the screen, she noticed the man question standing in her doorway, his phone still in hand, giving her a sheepish look.

"I hope it's not a budget review you want to schedule on a Friday night at 8pm at _Del Posto_." she asked him with a smile.

"It's not." He answered softly. There it was again. That warm look in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat.

"Well, if it's not work related then I suppose you may pick me up at 7.45pm." she finally answered, hoping that her giddiness wasn't too apparent on her face. God, she wished Rachel was here. Donna considered calling her, but she hadn't yet told her friend what had happened the night of her wedding either. For a brief moment she wondered if Harvey had told Mike. No, Mike wouldn't be able to keep news like these to himself and Rachel would have called her for confirmation in a heartbeat. _I'm going to call her when there's actual news to tell_ , she decided.

The rest of the day Donna only saw Harvey from afar, sharing a smile when their eyes met. So it wasn't until the next day when Donna found out that Harvey started picking a fight with David Fox over the cleaning lady. " _You're missing Mike_ " is what she told him. She was surprised when by the end of the day Harvey not only provided a solution to the problem, but also gave her the reigns to close the deal. It felt empowering, especially coming from Harvey. It was a testament to how far they had come in the past year especially. Donna couldn't help but to look forward to their date Friday night.

She left work extra early around 6pm that night in order to allow herself some time to get ready even if she didn't have to. Reapplying her make-up and using just a slighter darker shade of red lipstick she settled on a dress that was just minimally more revealing than what she would wear on a regular office day. _Can't appear too desperate_ , Donna thought.

At exactly 7.45 on the dot, there was a knock on her door. Upon opening it, Harvey greeted her with a small bouquet of flowers. "Are those for me? This isn't a closing night?" she asked smiling while accepting the bouquet. Motioning to him to follow her inside, Donna went in search for a fitting vase.

"Well, I know it's not. I have, however, once been told that a man should never show up for a date without bringing flowers." Harvey answered. He was still dressed in the suit he wore in office today, but Donna didn't mind. After all he wore his suits well.

"Then thank you for the flowers, they look lovely." Donna told him. Filling the vase she picked with water, she carefully arranged the flowers in it and put the vase on her dining room table. "Let me just grab my purse and we are ready to go."

They headed to the restaurant in comfortable silence, and when they arrived at _Del Posto_ , easy conversation came to them naturally. They talked about their colleagues, clients and past experiences. They had worked together for more than 13 years and people around them would perceive them as an old couple celebrating a wedding anniversary as opposed to two people who were currently having their very first proper date. Finishing the last of her dessert, Donna noticed Harvey staring at her, as if wondering what to say. She gave him a puzzled look in return. "What is it?"

Noticing he got caught staring at her, he smiled sheepishly. "I don't know. It's just- why exactly haven't we done this before?"

"We've been here like a dozen times already, Harvey." Donna asked, not sure what he was getting at.

"I know, but we've never been here on a _date_." He answered, emphasizing the last word.

Donna thought about it for a moment. "I suppose it is because we are finally on the same page at the same time." Harvey looked at her with his eyebrows raised, willing her to elaborate. "I mean at first it was because I didn't want a relationship with someone I work with and after _that other time_ , it was you who decided you rather wanted to work with me than for us to try and have a relationship. Then there were-"

"Wait a minute! You thought I wasn't interesting in dating you because I wanted you to join me at Pearson Hardman?" Harvey asked surprised.

"Well, you told me that you would have never come over if you knew we would keep on working together." Donna explained.

"That was only because of your stupid rule! You were the one who said-"

"I know what I said, Harvey. And I barely knew you then. You barely knew me." She said softly. "I was just going to explain. I think we both simply weren't ready for this. We had our eyes set on different goals."

"And now we do?" Harvey asked and Donna couldn't help but to detect some hopefulness in his tone.

"I know my goals have changed. I'm quite certain yours have, too." She said looking at him pointedly, recalling last week's conversation in her office about Harvey stepping down as managing partner. Donna finished her glass of wine and looked at him. The gleam in his eyes and the amused smile painted on his face told her all she needed to know. _He was ready. He had to be._

They exited the restaurant together and walked side by side towards the waiting cabs down the block. Harvey was quiet and Donna realized that he was deep in thought. Abruptly he stopped. Grasping her hand in his he made her turn towards him.

Donna was about to ask what was wrong, when his other hand moved to cup her face and his lips brushed against hers as if asking permission to kiss her properly. Leaning into the kiss, Donna couldn't help but to respond in kind and give in to the soft feel of his lips on hers. Whereas a second ago her mind had gone a mile a minute, there was suddenly nothing. All she could think of was the warmth that radiated off Harvey, the way their noses touched and the taste of red wine as they kissed. His hand caressed the side of her face before joining the other at her waist, drawing her closer to him on the busy sidewalk.

She was suddenly thankful that her heels brought her to nearly the same height he was, because when they finally moved apart, she could look him straight in the eyes. "Okay, hotshot. Any plans for the rest of the night?" she asked deliberately coquettish.

The gleam in Harvey's eyes told her that he thought he had something funny to say. "Actually, I was wondering: Since you are such a big fan of rules, I hope you don't have some kind of three-date-rule, because-"

Her lips on his silenced him. "My place or yours?" she asked. Harvey wasted no time in waving over a cab, opening the door closest to the sidewalk for her. Making the decision for both of them, she gives the cab driver her address as he walks around the other side of the car before getting in on the other side. Turning towards Harvey until her knees were touching his she gently grasped his hand in hers. "I don't want to waste anymore time. Not with this. Not with _us_." She finally confessed.

Harvey looked in her eyes then, as if searching for an answer. "What is it what you want, Donna?" he asked, almost hesitantly.

"I want this to work, Harvey. I want this to work in the long run. I'm tired of hiding how I feel. I'm tired of either of us running when things get complicated." She answered him honestly, her gaze dropping to where their hands were interlinked on his thigh.

She felt Harvey giving her hand a soft squeeze. "Then you should know that I'm all in, Donna. I have no intention of running. Not anymore." He whispered and Donna felt as if her heart was going to burst. Leaning forward, she gently kissed his lips.

"That's good to hear. After all, there are so much better things for us to do than running."

Later that night, after having another glass of wine on Donna's couch, they don't waste much time before moving their date to the bedroom.

"You don't happen to have any whipped cream hidden somewhere?" Harvey asked while waggling his eyebrows at her.

"I think whipped cream clashes badly with the Rioja we just had." She quipped as her arms encircled his shoulders from behind and deftly starts tucking at his tie.

"It's a shame. I was just feeling nostalgic." Harvey told her with a fake disappointed undertone. Feeling his tie come lose, he turned around to face Donna. She had already removed her high heels and she found she was unused to have to stretch her neck a little to look at his face in this close proximity. She felt him search her dress for its zipper, while her own hands were already busy at unbuttoning his shirt. Finally locating the pull-tab in the back, he gently pulled the zipper open. Within seconds her dress pooled around her feet and Donna was left standing in a skimpy satin underdress. Giving Harvey a gentle shove to his chest, he moved backwards until his knees hit the foot of the bed.

"Lie down." She instructed and watched as he complied willingly.


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm sorry it took me a few days to update this. I made this chapter slightly longer to make up for this, plus I included my favorite Harvey scene from season 8A. This is probably the last happy dooey chapter for a little while - I think it's time to put in some roadblocks for Donna and Harvey to keep things interesting. I already have some of it written, so I hope I won't take too long to post the next chapter._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Suits or its characters. Some of this chapter's dialogue is from 8.05._

* * *

Harvey was in a good mood. No, scratch that. He was in a _great_ mood. Things finally seemed to be falling into place for him. The firm was doing well, not just because no one was at each other's throats for the time being and there was _Donna_. He found that his anxiety about not having her in the office next door had lessened considerably. No, spending time with her after work did a great job at compensating. For now, they were keeping this new development for themselves. Harvey knew people in this office had talked about him and Donna and the way they worked together for years, but for now he was fine with letting them draw their own conclusions. If things would keep working out as well as they did for the past two weeks, they could still inform Robert and Louis about them. In the meantime he would simply enjoy waking up next her before heading to work.

Just then Louis walked into his office. Of all the things Harvey could think of that Louis could ask him, he certainly was surprised to be asked about his sperm of all things. Clearly uncomfortable about the topic, he let his friend elaborate. From the corner of his eyes he saw a flash of red hair disappearing around the corner. Donna must have been on the way to see him and decided at the last second not to interrupt. Knowing Donna, she would be lurking just out of sight, listening and waiting her turn.

He knew of course that his friend was trying to have a baby with his girlfriend; he wasn't _that_ ignorant towards the people around him. Still, Harvey wasn't sure what to think of it. One more change to get used to if Louis became a father. Still, he wondered at what point his and Louis's friendship passed that certain boundary where it was okay to talk about jerking off. Oh Donna would get a kick out of this conversation, Harvey was sure.

What was he thinking about when jerking off? He couldn't tell Louis that he was thinking about Donna and the way her hair moved while she- no. He willed his mind from wandering to the recent nights he spent in Donna's bedroom. Upon entering it, memories from over a decade ago had washed over Harvey. He was pretty sure the furniture had changed, as it had in most of the apartment throughout the years. Just like Donna herself it had experienced a transformation from part-time actress/waitress come legal secretary to Chief Operating Officer of a first tier law firm. The bed, however, wasn't the memory that was triggered. _Strawberries and whipped cream._ Harvey was sure it must have been the body wash Donna was using or maybe even her shampoo, but he could distinctly remember the smell of strawberries as he licked a trail of whipped cream off Donna's thighs all these years ago.

So, Louis wanted to know about an inanimate object he thought about when getting off? He couldn't say strawberries. Whipped cream would probably trigger vivid speculation on Louis' part, so this was ruled out as well. So maybe he should go for another fruit that was red? He realized how ridiculous the notion was as soon as the word "tomatoes" left his mouth, but it was too late to take it back. Telling Louis not to mock the tomatoes, he sent his friend on his merry way to the fertility clinic.

He was not surprised at all to see Donna standing in the doorway as soon as Louis left.

"You wanna tell me what that was all about?" She asked, feigning ignorance. Deciding to call her out on the bluff he waits for the question that he knows is coming next.

"In that case what I really want to know is: Is it true about the tomatoes?" she asked huskily.

"I think we both know it's not." He replied, unconsciously moving closer to her. "Just like we both know it's really strawberries and whipped cream", he told her suggestively, waggling his eyebrows at the words.

"What? Too soon?" They hadn't really talked about abandoning the agreement not to talk of that night again. However, considering they were back to doing just that, Harvey didn't mind taking the chance to mention it.

"Stop it, Harvey, someone might overhear." Donna scolded him, but the smirk on her lips told him that she wasn't angry at him at all. "Not to mention that this happened 13 years ago!"

"Feels like 12.5 half to me." Harvey quipped. "Really, we should have an re-enactment ceremony for that other time, because god knows how often I've had inappropriate thoughts about whipped cream ever since."

"If I recall correctly you having inappropriate ideas about whipped cream was the reason we used it in the first place." Donna replied in a hushed tone. She was standing dangerously close and her hand traced the lapels of his suit jacket.

Harvey couldn't help but lean closer to her ear and whisper "Do you think there's whipped cream in the partner's kitchen?" He could literally see the blush appear on Donna's face. Oh, he loved riling her up.

Donna, however, took a step back from him and smiled while shaking her head. "You're an idiot."

"No, Louis is an idiot. Because he believed I think about _tomatoes_." Harvey told her.

"And if Sheila wants him to get his swimmers checked we shouldn't mock that he has to do that. In a cup. Thinking about _tomatoes_." Donna said, picking up on the humor.

"You're absolutely right. We should take it very seriously. _Tomatoes_." Harvey had a feeling that this was going to become some sort of code word between them. Reluctantly he moved away from her and forced himself to turn his attention back to the files sitting on his desk. Maybe it was a good thing Donna did not have her office next to his anymore. Otherwise he would never get any work done.

"Okay, you know, as much as I would love to do this all day, I came in here to tell you that you need to call Marcus." Donna said, changing the subject.

Harvey's head snapped up at the mention of his brother's name. "Marcus? About what?"

"I don't know, but he left me a message that he wants you to call him." She answered honestly.

Harvey couldn't help but notice that Donna had a slightly worried look on her face. "If he wants me to call, why would he be leaving a message for you?" he asked.

"Because when Marcus really needs you, he calls me. He's only ever done that _twice_. Which means whatever it is he needs, it's important." Donna said and Harvey was instantly reminded what those two instances were; Marcus being diagnosed with lymphoma and his father's death. Harvey could feel his heart plummet to his stomach. This wasn't good.

"All right Donna, I'll call him."

"Today, Harvey. Today." Donna looked at him searchingly. Of course she'd worry that he would try to delay the call. She knew him well. He nodded at her as she took her leave.

Later, when he finished arranging his flight to Boston he could still feel the anger at his little brother's stupidity threatening to bubble to the surface. Of course that was the moment Donna decided to show up again.

"Hey did you get a hold of Marcus?" she asked while turning the corner to his office.

"I did." He replied shortly while putting on his suit jacket.

"Then what is going on? He's not sick again, is he?" Harvey could hear the worry in her voice and felt instantly guilty at not immediately informing her that this wasn't a life and death situation.

"No, nothing like that, but it's still not good." He told her, trying to keep his anger at bay.

"Then what is it?" Of course Donna would want the full story.

He decided to give it to her in a nutshell. "He cheated on Katie. She found out and now she wants a divorce."

"Oh my god. Are you kidding me?" She answered, clearly just as annoyed at the news as he was.

"No. And that's not all. He wants me to come up and represent him."

"So what are you going to do?" she asked.

Did she not just see him prepare to leave? "What do you think I'm going to do? I'm gonna help him." He answered.

"Okay, look, I have to ask: Are you sure that you want to do this?" The question hit Harvey right where it hurt. She knew him too well.

"I appreciate your concern, Donna, but it's my bro, what am I supposed to do?"

"All I'm saying that this could bring up a lot of shit for you." Donna wasn't usually one to use curse words, but Harvey supposed it was just the right term for it. She knew the story of his family better than any of his friends.

"And I don't disagree, but like I said; _it's my bro,_ what am I supposed to do?" Harvey was at a loss. What else was there to do? Maybe she would have some advise he didn't think of before?

"Okay. But before you go, after what just happened, I think you should tell Robert." Donna said, referring to the recent complains Robert Zane had about everyone the partners acting as they please.

"I already did." Harvey replied, for once one step ahead of Donna.

"How did he take it?" she asked, intrigued. Harvey knew it was because Robert had dared to question her abilities as COO. He knew that since then she had successfully worked her usual magic on Robert, but he could tell that if Donna harbored one weakness, it was her insecurity on how people thought she performed in her position. _Damn Andrew Malik_.

"I have to give him credit. He didn't hesitate for a second. He said family comes first, always does, always will." Harvey told her.

He finished his preparations quickly, dropping off some last files with the unfortunate associate closest to the bullpen entrance. Typing a message to Donna that he'd call her once he arrived, he let Ray drive him home to pick up some clothes for the trip before leaving for the airport.

In the end, Donna had been right. Dealing with Marcus and his mother always 'brought up some shit' for him. However, he prided himself that he had been able to stay civil with his mother when she ambushed him in his hotel room and he did not call it quits when it turned out Marcus did not actually cheat, but asked his own daughter to lie for him to cover for his secret. This was even worse than cheating. Cheating had driven his family apart, but his mother asking him to cover for her infidelity had been the reason for this rift between them.

Getting into a cab at JFK airport, Harvey considered his options. It was late already, but he hadn't seen Donna in two days. Should he chance going by her apartment first? She knew of course he was coming back because he had called her earlier, but she hadn't invited him to drop by. " _I guess I'll see her tomorrow morning then_ " he thought as he gave the driver his address.

The first thing he noticed as he entered his apartment was that the lights were on. Dropping his bag next to the door he rounded the corner towards his kitchenette. The fireplace was switched on and an empty wine glass stood on the coffee table. Dropping his keys on the counter he noticed a bowl sitting on it. It was filled with fresh tomatoes that were glowing in the firelight. Harvey couldn't help but smirk and look towards his bedroom. Donna was lounging on his bed, wearing nothing but a satin nightdress, putting away a book she must have just read.

"What are my chances that I'll find a bottle of whipped cream in my fridge?" he asked in way of greeting her.

"Why don't you go and look?" she replied suggestively as she turned on her stomach, showing off her beautiful silhouette while kicking up her naked calves for his viewing pleasure.

 _What a minx_. His brother might have screwed up his relationship, but Harvey was going to make sure this would never happen to him. No, if he were lucky enough to have her in his life forever, he would not screw this up.


	6. Chapter 6

_I'm so sorry it took me this long to update. I kind of lost my mojo for a while there. This chapter and the next are somewhat a bridge to the actual storyline I had in mind for this and for which I have some parts written already. I hope I'll get the next chapter done in a more timely manner and after that I should be able to upate a little faster._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

* * *

'Ugh. That last shrimp cocktail must have been bad', Donna thought as she wandered the halls of ZSL the morning after the fundraiser. Or maybe it was the oysters? Her stomach churned painfully and the latte macchiato from the coffee cart seemed to make her nausea even worse. 'I'm probably getting too old to be out drinking on a work night', she thought. Walking by Harvey's office, she noticed he and Louis seemed to be having a rather loud argument. This certainly didn't help the headache she nursed either. 'It must be my lucky day", she thought 'first Samantha, now those two are at it again'.

"What's going on here?" Donna demanded as she burst into the office.

"Harvey won't go to couple's counseling with me!" Louis blurted out like a petulant child.

"What?" she asked. Of all the answers she imagined, this one had not be one of it.

"Exactly!" Harvey said, starting up the heated discussion between the two men once again.

"Louis, will you give us a minute?" she asked her friend, who left the office with a pout on his face. It wasn't really fair to Louis because she, too, had noticed Harvey had been rather standoffish with him lately. She gave Harvey a pointed look.

"Donna, I don't wanna talk about this." Harvey said once the two of them were alone.

"Too bad, because I heard the way you speak to Louis before and just now and there's clearly some stuff going on with you that you're not dealing with! It probably has something to do with what you just went through with Marcus." She said, already guessing what the real issue at hand was. Harvey had been in a brooding mood since coming back from Boston and while he usually did not take it out on her, she couldn't help but notice the way he acted towards their fellow colleagues.

He looked at her annoyed. "This has nothing to do with him getting a divorce!"

"He's what?" This was news to her. Donna knew that there had been talks about a separation and custody, but from what Harvey told her it sounded like Marcus and Katie were at least trying to mend fences.

"He called. They're not going to try and work it out." Harvey told her.

"Well I don't care if you go see Lipschitz or someone else, but you need to deal with yourself." She told him in a matter of fact. "And stop treating Louis like you used to because he isn't that man anymore. And I thought you weren't either." It was like an old memory of Harvey had resurfaced. The one who couldn't deal with his emotions and instead shut everyone around him out in order to wallow in self-pity. This was not the Harvey she could be in a romantic relationship with without getting hurt in the process. No, in order to keep things between them like they were, he had to get help. Dr. Lipschitz seemed like a logical choice. After the whole Paula Agard debacle she'd rather trust someone who'd been successfully helping Louis for years. Leaving Harvey's office she felt her stomach churn painfully once more. No, today was definitely not her day.

Later that night, Donna was lying on her couch, a hot water bottle in her lap and nursing a cup of herbal tea. At least her headache had worn off and her nausea was getting much better. After fighting with Harvey she had gone to see her friend Peggy who was mad at her for being fired and then she went to have another argument with Samantha. After getting her head turned around by Alex Williams of all people and spending nearly an hour mulling in the file room, she went to see Samantha again to apologize. She was glad she did, because as it turned out, Samantha was also sorry to have dealt with it the way she did. Now, she and Samantha even had a plan to help Peggy keep her job and deal with the charity's misdeeds.

Donna should have felt accomplished after a day like this, but right now, she was simply exhausted. She and Harvey had not spoken once after what she told him in his office and she wasn't sure whether in this case, too, she should make the first step. God knew Harvey was not the type to apologize for who he was. No, this would have to wait until tomorrow. If she was lucky enough, Harvey listened to her and would agree to go see Dr. Lipschitz with Louis.

The next day she was relieved her gut feeling had not left her when she found out Harvey had done exactly as she hoped. After accompanying Samantha to the charity's office in order to force the chairman into resigning and handing his job to her old friend she had hoped to get a hold of him to talk, only to find out he had gone to see Dr. Lipschitz once again. Without Louis present. Thank God for small miracles.

When she texted him that she would be going out for drinks with Samantha, she immediately received a reply that he was doing the same with Louis and not to wait up for him. Deciding to forego the hard liquor after the first shot of whiskey in favor of a mild wine after having just overcome the last symptoms of her hangover she listened intently to Samantha's story. Donna always thought that Harvey's and her families were messed up, but her newest colleagues life had been several times more turbulent than theirs. Parents unknown and being handed through the entire foster care system, Samantha Wheeler's life had been far from easy, which made her academic career all the more impressive. Knowing these things about her newest colleague, Donna finally understood where Samantha's secrecy about her past came from. In fact, she downright enjoyed this night out. Of course lately she spent many nights in Harvey's company, but it wasn't the same as having a girl to girl talk like she used to with Rachel.

'Thank God tomorrow is Saturday' Donna thought as she made her way home far later than she had originally planned. As she opened the door she wondered if it was too late to call up Harvey and talk about this weekend's plans. Stepping into her entryway, Donna noticed the light on the side table was switched on. However, before she could even wonder about who her late night visitor was, her eyes fell on Harvey's coat and briefcase on a chair next to the wardrobe. Walking into her living room, she spotted her intruder fast asleep on her couch. Harvey's neck was bent backwards at an odd angle, his jaw slack and he was snoring.

"Now that's cute." Donna whispered mockingly as she put away her coat and made her way to the couch. Carefully settling down next to him she could smell that he and Louis had broken out the hard liquor as well. His eyes blinked open as she moved closer to him.

"Hey." He rasped "I didn't mean to fall asleep here."

"Well, if you came here to warm my bed, the couch isn't exactly the place to go." She teased.

"I didn't come here to _warm your bed_ , I came here to _get some_." He mumbled playfully while stretching his limbs.

"Is that so?" Donna asked teasingly. She carefully folded her legs over his lap while his arms sneaked around her upper body to draw her closer to him. "You look like you'd fall asleep on me before we even got there." Seductively, she placed a few soft kisses along his jawline. "Thank you, by the way."

"What for?" Harvey asked, leaning into her lips while his fingers played with a strand of her hair.

"For agreeing to see Dr. Lipschitz with Louis when I asked you to." She elaborated.

"You didn't exactly _ask_."

"No, I didn't." Donna wondered if she should apologize for forcing him to go. "I'm glad you went to see him. Are you and Louis good?"

"I think so. Apparently I'm better at therapy than he is." He replied while flashing her a cocky grin. Then he proceeded to tell her all about his conversation with Dr. Lipschitz.

"So you _were_ jealous of Louis having a baby?" Donna asked, trying to understand.

"I don't think that was the reason. I think it was that his family life was moving forward while I felt that mine wasn't." he explained. Donna was surprised at this admittance. Weren't they finally moving forward?

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't mean _you_ when I said this. I was thinking about Marcus and Katie breaking up and Jessica, Mike and Rachel leaving. So when I went to see Stan again he made me realize that I am focusing too much on the people who leave instead of the people that are still _here_." Donna felt how Harvey gripped her a little tighter as he said this.

"You're here and I love you and now I know you won't go running when I tell you that." He told her softly, lovingly. This was a new side of Harvey that she was still getting to know.

Donna was speechless for a moment. Then her face stretched into a smile. "Wow, you really _are_ better at therapy then Louis!" She leaned in to kiss him. "And for the record, I have no intention of running. And that's because I love you too."


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's note: I'm so sorry about the long wait. Somehow this chapter was very hard for me to write, even though I included he Darvey scenes from 'Sour Grapes'. I found that episode somehow lacking because Harvey and Donna never really talked things out and I feel like they should have. Thank you for your reviews, they really kept me motivated to keep writing this._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

* * *

Harvey stormed out of the elevator and went to search Donna, Fox's documents clenched tightly in his hand. _How could she?_ Five minutes ago he had been perfectly content, but just seeing the smug look on David Fox's face as he told him he had no choice but to take this case made his mood drop significantly.

He didn't even need to walk as far as her office, as he caught Donna leaving Alex's office right before his eyes. Donna must have recognized his mood right away when she glanced at him, because she briskly started walking towards her office without sparing him another look as he started to call her out about Fox.

"When were you going to tell me about this brilliant idea of yours?" he asked angrily as he followed her.

"I already did tell you when I added him to your updated client roster." She replied flippantly. Now he knew she was trying to pull his leg. What was going on here?

"You know damn well I don't read my updated client roster!" he accused her.

With a sigh, Donna turned to face him. "Okay, you got me. I only wanted to see the look on your face when he came to you and you realized you didn't have a choice." Harvey gave her a look at this statement.

"And there it is." She said, clearly annoyed with him.

"You think this is funny?" Harvey asked. What had gotten into Donna? Why would she do that to him?

"No, Harvey, I don't. And the real reason I didn't tell you was because I knew you'd react like a child. But I made a deal, that you gave me the authority to make, because you knew you couldn't come to one yourself." She spat. Ah, so this was why she was pissed at him. "So, whatever it is your feeling: Suck it up, take one for the team and get this thing done!" Donna continued forcefully.

A spiteful 'I guess that means the honeymoon's over' was at the tip of his tongue when Harvey decided that it wouldn't do to feed into the angry gleam in Donna's eyes. Still fuming, he decided to swallow a witty comeback and do what she said. For now.

Harvey did not see Donna for the rest of the day. After compiling the facts about the case and visiting Fox, Harvey went to do some research on his case in the library - another change that happened when both Mike and Rachel left, because he felt like he hadn't done any research there since he made senior partner. Maybe it was time to pick a new associate to mentor, although it would be hard to find someone who could at least remotely fill Mike's shoes.

A glance at the clock told him that it was getting late and he wondered if Donna would come by before she left the office so they could arrange where to meet later. They had spent last night separately already and those occasions had become few and far in between lately. So far in between that in fact he felt strange slipping into bed all by himself last night. Harvey was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed his phone light up with a text message. It was from Donna, telling him that she was feeling unwell and not to wait up for her. The clipped phrasing told Harvey that she was not quite over their little spat from this morning. He cursed himself for exploding at her the way he did. Debating whether he should give her some space tonight he quickly typed _Good night. Sorry about earlier. Feel better soon. Love you._ As he hit 'send' Harvey realized that this was the first time he spelled those magic words out for her. It didn't take long before her reply came. _Good night. Love you, too. See you tomorrow._ Reading her words he definitely felt calmer. Only Donna could manage to sort him out and yet convey her love to him in one little message. Getting the message that they were okay, but he would still spend the night alone in his apartment, Harvey returned to his books.

The next day, Harvey knew that nothing was okay the moment he caught Donna glaring at him through the glass panels of the lobby. How the hell had she already gotten wind that he was dropping Fox's case? Squaring his shoulders he prepared for yet another argument with the woman he loved within 24 hours.

"Let me guess. Samantha told you what I'm about to do." Harvey said, deliberately foregoing pleasantries.

"Yeah, she did." Donna replied as she faced him, both hands clasping her purse in front of her.

"So she keeps shit from me, but shares it with you?" he asked.

"Oh don't make this about her! She does what she wants, just like you do."

"Are you taking _her_ side?" Harvey asked pissed.

"I'm taking _my_ side." Donna pointed out. "Because you may be done with this case, but she's gonna keep working on it, because _unlike you_ , she cares about my reputation."

Now that was rich coming from the woman he loved of all people. "You think I don't _care_ about you? You're in your position because I put you there!" he blurted out, instantly regretting his choice of words at the disbelieving look Donna gave him in return.

"No Harvey, I'm in my position because I _fucking earned_ it! Now if you wanna talk about things you did: _You_ authorized me to negotiate this deal and if you don't honor it, Fox is gonna tell the world and how is that gonna go the next time I try to come to an agreement with anyone?" Donna asked him angrily

Startled by her sudden outburst Harvey starts reasoning with her. "It'll go fine because he has no integrity. Nobody will believe him."

"Okay. Let me put this in words you'll understand:" Donna replies as if scolding a small child. " _I_ have integrity. You let him go; you're making me a _liar_."

"You wanna talk about a liar? He lied to my face!" How could Donna not see it this way?

"And so have a thousand other clients! You were just waiting for an opportunity to let him go!" she yelled accusingly.

"Because we should have never taken him on in the first place!" Harvey said angrily, but also noticing he was lacking other legitimate reasons for dropping Fox.

"Well, we did. And like I said: You drop him, you're making me a liar. And I don't care if the rest of the world knows it- you'll know it and I'll know it. But you go ahead and do what you want, you always do anyway." With that, she turned away from him towards the elevators, not even sparing him another look as she walked away. Shit.

Taking a deep breath, Harvey contemplated his next move. He had clearly just lost this argument with Donna. So there was really only one thing to do: Paying another visit to David Fox and calling him out on his lie.

Later that night, Harvey stopped at the grocery store on his way home. He hadn't seen Donna for the rest of the day, but shortly after he told Samantha that he was back on the case he received another text message from her. _Your place tonight_ was all it said. After picking up his returned dry cleaning from the concierge he made his way up to his condo. Dropping the bag of groceries on the counter in the kitchen he went towards his wardrobe to hang his suits – and one of Donna's dresses. Smiling at the memory of taking this particular dress off of her a few nights ago he hangs the garment on the far right side if his wardrobe, where another two dresses of hers are already hanging.

It has only been a few weeks since they finally took the plunge, but Donna apparently had wasted no time to leave her mark everywhere in his apartment. Below the dresses, there was a pair of black heels and some white canvas slippers sitting on the bottom of the wardrobe. In the bathroom unfamiliar bottles of creams and lotions had recently popped up in every nook and cranny and Harvey had the distinctive feeling that Donna was currently in the process of making an entire drawer of his dresser her own. What surprised Harvey most was that he didn't really mind. Once he put away the groceries he bought there was a sharp knock on his door.

"Donna", Harvey said surprised when he suddenly stood face to face with the woman who had occupied his thoughts all day. Giving him a sharp look Donna sidestepped him and walked towards Harvey's living area before turning to face him. The look she gave him made him swallow any comment about her not using her keys like she'd done for several weeks now.

"Do you regret making me COO, Harvey?" she asked.

"What? No, of course not! You're doing a great job Donna and I knew you would!" Harvey replied. "Listen, I know what I said today was-"

"Stop it right there." Donna interrupted him, holding up a finger. "I wonder if you forgot that it was _me_ who asked for that promotion. And if you already forgot about all the work I did when I was still your assistant."

"Donna, trust me, I know. Look I'm sorry. I never meant to downplay how you got your job. I know how much you stepped up, especially after Jessica left. I know you took up most of her administrative tasks without batting an eye. And so does Louis. No one thought of you as only my secretary anymore." Harvey tried to placate her.

"Maybe you and Louis did. But to everyone else I was your assistant. Nothing more." Donna said quietly.

"That's not true Donna." Everyone who knew Donna only had praise for her. It wasn't only Louis who wanted to snatch her up to work for him, Harvey knew for a fact that several of his clients would have offered Donna a job in a heartbeat even years ago. This had always made him proud.

"Yes it is. Do you know when I realized this? It was when Benjamin and I tried to find an investor for _The Donna_. I was so sure I could do it. But then I overheard those guys who I had a meeting with that they'd have to be crazy to go into busy with a _'career secretary'_ and that the only reason they even took the meeting was because I was working for you. That's when I knew that to everyone outside the firm that was all I was ever going to be. A secretary." Donna lost some of her tense posture as she said this, as if admitting these things were lifting a weight of her chest. "So you know now why I asked for 'more'. And the settlement offer for Benjamin's program gave me the seed money to do something about it."

"So you asked for partner", Harvey stated quietly.

"So I asked for partner", Donna agreed.

"I'm glad you told me, Donna. I didn't realize. For me, you and me were always a team, no matter what your title was." Harvey confessed.

"I know you did and I know that my paycheck has been showing that for years, but somewhere along the line, you knowing it wasn't enough for me anymore. I wanted others to know that, too."

"Then I guess I should thank you." Harvey said, a boyish smile on his face.

"For what?" Donna asked, also smiling.

"For not looking elsewhere for your _something more_ , Harvey answered before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her softly.

"Well, as you said. You and I, we are a team." She replied, keeping her forehead pressed against his.

"That we are." He replied softly.

Much later, when they both were in bed, Harvey thought about the things Donna told him as he absentmindedly played with a lock of her hair and basked in the warmth of her body next to his.

"I'm sorry, you know", he finally said.

Donna turned slightly so she was facing him. "You already said that", she replied.

"I apologized to what I said about putting you in your position. I haven't yet apologized for not doing something for your career much sooner. Maybe things would've been different for you now if I had promoted you several years ago." Harvey admitted.

Donna sighed before nuzzling closer to him. "I don't see which position you could have promoted me to without breaking up this team when you weren't even managing partner yet."

"I should have found a way." Harvey thought.

"Maybe you could have talked Jessica into making me Head of support staff somewhere along the road, but lets face it- that would have meant for you to find a new assistant and we would have barely seen each other anymore. Not with the size Pearson Specter Litt used to be before Jessica left."

"I could have paid for grad school for you." Harvey tried again.

"Same result. I wouldn't have been able to work for you at the same time. And for your information: Thanks to my very generous boss I would have been able to pay for grad school myself if I wanted to go, thank you very much."

"But with an MBA less people would question your career." Harvey thought about the foul accusations Malik made concerning her promotion.

"Maybe that's true. But lets face it- an MBA wouldn't change the fact that I'm a great COO." Donna quipped before kissing his nose, effectively ending his doubtful train of thought.

"You're an awesome COO." Harvey relented.

"And don't you ever forget it. Now, lets finally go to sleep and continue to be awesome tomorrow." Donna said, snuggling deeper into the sheets.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's note: I tried really hard to get this chapter posted before the start of season 8b, as this is where my storyline is going to diverge from what we saw on the show. Actually it used to be two shorter chapters, but I decided to post them together as one._

 _Thank you all for the kind reviews I received last week. Please keep it up - I'd love to know what you think about this chapter!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

* * *

Over the next few days Harvey took pride in the routine he and Donna had established. They spent most night together and even became bold enough to arrive at the office at the same time. So far, no one had noticed and if someone did, they hadn't commented about it yet. He knew that Donna was a little worried about how people would react to their relationship. After all she was the one who had to endure the rumors that she only became COO because of him. However, he was confident that those rumors would eventually die down, especially if Donna kept up doing such a great job.

He wondered if he should do something special for her, just to show her how much he was enjoying those past few weeks. Or maybe just get her a gift? In Donna's books he wasn't a good gift-giver at all (he had just recently caught her mentioning it to Samantha when she thought he wasn't near) and if he was being completely honest there was some truth behind it. However, he'd like to think that it wasn't because his lack of observing skills. Most of the time he just couldn't be bothered to wrack his brain about a perfect gift. So in the past, he had often delegated this bothersome task to Donna, who took pride in always finding the perfect present.

There wasn't really an occasion – after all he'd mocked one-month or six-month anniversaries enough for a lifetime, and he should have known things with Paula were never going to work when she started just doing that. On another note, he wasn't truly sure when their anniversary was. Was it the night of Mike's wedding when they first hooked up? Or the first date following that night, when he told her that he was all in? Maybe it was that night in the mailroom when she agreed to that date? Well, it didn't really matter, because no matter which day it was, their one-month anniversary had come and gone and remained unmentioned. He and Donna were different; they didn't need such landmarks. After all they'd known each other for nearly 14 years.

Wait a minute! The anniversary of the day she was coming on his desk was just a few weeks away! He couldn't just let go of this anniversary after all this time – even if she hadn't technically been working his desk for almost two years.

A simple dinner at Del Posto wouldn't cut it- they always did that anyways. Time to step up your game, Specter. You couldn't go wrong with tickets for Broadway with Donna. However, as he scrolled down the list of plays and musicals that were currently playing, he realized he had no idea which one of them she had already seen. That was another thing that changed since she left his desk, Harvey thought as he looked at the empty cubicle in front of his office. Back when that cubicle was still hers she'd always tell him about how much she enjoyed whatever play she'd seen the night before even if he pretended not to care. Fair enough, he always retaliated by summing up the latest Yankees game for her, knowing that she didn't care in the least whether they or the Sox came up on top. Looking back at the list of Broadway plays he realized he would have to consult Louis of all people – and chances were that he would like to tag along. He realized if he wanted to keep this a surprise, he would have to find a moment when Donna was otherwise occupied and unlikely to run in on him and Louis going over theater plays of all things. Where was Donna now, anyways? They had arrived separately, because Donna claimed to have an appointment to go to before work, but she had been gone all morning and all he had seen of her since noon were glimpses of her leaving whatever place he was just heading to.

As it turned out, his workday was nearly over when Harvey had the feeling that Donna was deliberately avoiding him. But why? Was it something he did or didn't do? Maybe he had forgotten about one of those silly anniversaries after all. Finally, late in the evening when most offices were already deserted he caught her entering the executives' kitchen.

"Okay, you tell me now: What is it I did this time?" Harvey asked as he cornered her.

"What?" Donna visibly startled when he spoke up and almost knocked over her cup of tea when she whirled around to face him. He wasn't great at taking notice of other people's feeling, but it didn't take a genius to figure out she was upset about something.

"You've been avoiding me all day", he pointed out. Harvey thought that for a second she looked like a deer caught in the headlights before quickly schooling her face to a neutral expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about", she tells him as she returned to preparing her cup of tea. Harvey sighed annoyed as he watched her prepare her tea with uncharacteristically clumsy movements.

"Donna." he tried again. Her hands halt in their movement and Donna finally turned her head to look at him.

"Not here, Harvey", she then said calmly before picking up her cup and walking past him towards the door.

Sensing her need for some privacy, even though the kitchen was as deserted as the rest of the floor this late at night, he let her pass before following her as she made her way towards his office instead of her own.

Harvey watched from the doorway as Donna settled down on one of the armchairs with her back to him, her teacup clutched in both of her hands.

"Would you close the door, please?" she asked quietly, not looking at him. If he wasn't worried before, he definitely was now.

"What's going on, Donna?" he asked before moving to sit on the couch that was facing her.

"Harvey… I-" she stopped then, looking into her teacup as if her tea could tell her the right thing to say. "I need to tell you something and I don't really know how to say it", she continued.

"Donna, you know you can tell me anything." He told her then, wondered why she suddenly seemed so reluctant to confide in him of all people.

She looked up at him then and the first thing Harvey noticed that her eyes were red-rimmed as if she had been crying earlier and it made his stomach clench uncomfortably.

"I had a doctor's appointment this morning, because I've been feeling under the weather for quite a while now-…" she almost whispered and Harvey could literally feel his heart sink. Unable to say something he waited for her to elaborate.

"Harvey, I'm pregnant." She then said.

* * *

An uneasy silence followed her confession. Steeling herself, she looked into Harvey's eyes. He looked at her open-mouthed as if he had expected anything else, but not this. Donna wondered if this was the look she gave her doctor this morning. She knew that telling Harvey right away was the right thing to do, but now she second-guessed herself if she should have taken some time to clear her own head first.

She could see the color drain from his face as he took two or three heavy breaths. Donna startled as he suddenly jumped up. "What? How? I mean, how did this happen?"

"You know how this happened, Harvey." She answered, knowing that wasn't really what he meant. In fact she had asked herself the same question and was still short an answer. How could she mess her birth control up?

"You said you were being safe!" Harvey replied accusingly.

"And I thought I was! I messed up, okay?" Donna cried and immediately hated how fragile her voice sounded. She hated breaking apart in front of him, but this time she couldn't help it. This was huge. This was life changing.

"You never mess up! You're _Donna_ for god's sake!" Harvey yelled, throwing her own cocky mantra right back at her.

"And we both know that when I do, I mess up big time." Donna answered quietly, looking up to where he stood, nearly towering over her. She was always affected when Harvey was yelling at her and this time was no different. However this time, she truly and rightfully deserved it. _What a fucking mess._

She watched him as he started pacing like a caged lion, his jaw set, appearing deep in thought. Tears fell from her eyes, but she made no move to wipe them away.

"I need to be alone right now", he told her then, not sparing her another look.

Donna knew that they needed to talk about this, sooner better than later, but right now she understood that he needed some space to let the news sink. Goddammit, _she_ needed space to think. Taking her still full cup of tea, she quietly slipped out of his office.

Donna woke up bleary eyed. Thank God it was Sunday and no one expected her to be at the office. She hadn't gone yesterday either. Shuffling into the kitchen her eyes fell onto the stack of brochures spread out on her dining table. Her doctor had handed them to her and she had spent all Saturday studying them. The brochures had been very informative – in a very detached, clinical way – but she was still torn about her options. She need more time to make an _informed decision_ , as her doctor called it. There wasn't really much time left, though. After getting an ultrasound and taking a look at the embryo the doctor concluded she was already seven, nearly eight weeks gone. Donna almost had laughed out loud by that turn of fate – of course it had to happen the very first night she and Harvey hooked up.

Picking up the ultrasound picture Donna could hardly believe that something so small could cause so much trouble. There wasn't really much to see. In Donna's opinion it looked like a little white kidney bean in a black bubble.

She truly hadn't expected this. Donna had always counted herself lucky to have a light period, so she didn't worry when the last one had been even lighter – after all it had come right on time! What had worried her more were the on-and-off bouts of nausea she was recently experimenting. Thinking she was probably suffering from one of the many food allergies Louis constantly complained about, like gluten or lactose, she had finally set up an appointment with her doctor. But the blood test hadn't indicated any allergies, it had indicated raised hCG-levels – the pregnancy hormone.

A knock on her door pulled her from her musings. There was only one person it could be. She hadn't heard from him since she left his office Friday night, but they had both needed a little time apart to let the news sink in. Stopping short in front of her door, Donna wondered what mood Harvey would be in. Was he still angry? Squaring her shoulders, she opened the door to greet her guest.

"Hey", she greeted carefully, still assessing his mood.

"Hey", he answered softly. "May I come in?"

"Of course, sorry", Donna replied while moving aside to let him pass her.

He was dressed casually in a sweater and jeans and it looked like he hadn't bothered shaving all weekend, but he didn't seem angry and Donna couldn't help but feel a little relieved. She really wasn't in the mood for having accusations thrown at her.

She followed Harvey into her living room. For a moment he simply stood there and looked at her, as if debating what to say to her.

"You've been to Boston, haven't you?" Donna asked him. She had a hunch that he probably went to see Marcus, maybe even his own mother and he most definitely paid a visit to his father's grave.

"How'd you know?" he asked.

Donna took a moment to truly look at his face. It was clear that he left the hard I'm the best-closer-in-town attitude at home and instead showing a more vulnerable side of him. He rarely did that, even in front of her.

"I had a hunch." She replied.

"Yeah, well, I needed some time to think." He said as if he needed an excuse to see his family.

"I get that. I did, too." Donna admitted. She leaned against the doorway and drew her morning robe tighter around her body. She wondered if Harvey also found her more vulnerable when she wasn't dressed up to the nines. She certainly did. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"So… How are you?" Harvey asked carefully. "Are you alright? I mean, I never really did ask you that…" he trailed off.

"No, you didn't. But I'm feeling okay, I guess. Still quite overwhelmed by the news, but I suppose you are, too." Donna answered feeling touched that he cared how she felt. The Harvey she knew years ago wouldn't have been as considerate and it showed her once more how far they'd come.

"Overwhelmed almost feels like an understatement. Felt a bit like a knockout-punch." Harvey said lightly. He then added a soft "I miss you."

Her feet moved on their own account until she was right in front of him and winding her arms around his shoulders while he drew her close.

"I'm sorry I had to take my head out of my ass first before realizing it takes two to tango." He admitted.

She chuckled softly into his shoulder. "I was prepared to give you a few days to wrap your head around it. I know for a fact that I'm not quite there yet, either."

"When did- I mean how far along are you?" he then asked, clearly interested in getting all the facts.

"Nearly eight weeks" Donna answered and as she felt Harvey flinch she quickly added "-and before you say something incredibly stupid: The pregnancy starts counting on the first day of the woman's last period _prior_ the actual conception. So yeah, it must have happened the night of the wedding."

Harvey withdrew his arms and looked at her dumbly. "So you're saying you have been pregnant all this time we were together?"

"Yup. That's what I'm saying." Donna confirmed before starting to explain. "Look, I know I should have realized sooner, but I actually thought my birth control was still working properly and other than the nausea I didn't have any symptoms and-"

"Stop. Don't beat yourself up about it. I mean there's still quite some time to figure things out. I know the timing isn't ideal and we've barely been dating, but Donna, you've known me for a long time and I want you to know that I'm there for you. We're doing this together, okay?" Harvey told her.

"Actually there really isn't much time to think this through", Donna said, gesturing toward the brochures lying on her dining table. "We need to make a decision soon what we're going to do about this."

"What do you mean?" Harvey asked confused, picking up one of the glossy leaflets from the table. "Planned parenthood? Donna, is that what I think it is? Are you thinking about ending the pregnancy?" His expression changed from confusion to anger within a millisecond.

Donna held up her hands in defense. "The doctor gave me the brochures when she realized how upset I was to find out I was pregnant. I need to consider all the options I still have! Harvey, you cannot seriously expect me to just accept that this has happened!"

"I can't believe you! You're actually considering aborting this baby? My baby?" he yelled at her.

"Your baby is barely the size of a kidney bean at this very moment, so I still have options! Harvey do you even realize what having a baby would mean for us? We're both working 12 hours a day, sometimes even on the weekend. I barely find time to fit in a yoga session, how could I possibly raise a child while working these hours?!" Donna explained.

"You wouldn't have to work, we have enough money for you to stay at home with the child and-"

"Stop right there! I should stay at home? And what about my job? Remember, the one I fought so hard to get? Harvey, having a baby would mean for one of us to give up their dream career and from what I gather from you is that you've already made up your mind that I'm going to be the one to trade in my office for a nursery like it was 1970!"

"So what, you're just going to get rid of it and not mention it again while you keep working on your career?" Harvey asked icily.

"I don't know, okay? But I would like to keep an open mind about it to weigh my options!" Donna replied. God, this was exhausting.

"Obviously we need to make some choices, Donna, but I never thought you'd even consider abortion." Harvey dropped the leaflet back on the table. "It's like I don't even know you anymore. I gotta go."

Donna felt the tears spill over the moment she heard the door close with a slam.


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's note: Okay, so I have written the longest chapter so far. Again with both Harvey and Donna's point of views. I hope you'll like it._

 _In case anyone wondered I have changed the rating from M to T. Why? I realized that even though I intended to throw in some R-rated parts I never actually get around to actually write them down, So I'll just keep on leaving the more mature scenes to your imagination and keep the rating permanently lowered._

 _By the way, thank you so much for your reviews, I was glad that some of you did not see the pregnancy twist coming as I had hoped._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

* * *

"So you just left?" Dr. Lipschitz asked his patient.

"Yeah." Harvey answered. He had just finished telling Lipschitz about the pregnancy news, about visiting his family in Boston on Saturday to sort out his feelings and then the ill-fated visit with Donna the day after.

Dr. Lipschitz sighed and scanned the notes he made. "Let's start from the beginning. I want you to tell me the first thing you felt when Donna told you she was carrying your child."

"What does it matter? I was in shock; I couldn't even think straight!" Harvey answered slightly annoyed.

"Were you angry?" the doctor enquired.

"Of course I was!" he replied indignantly.

"Why?"

Harvey had to think for a moment. "Because this happened and I never had any say in it."

"So you weren't angry with Donna, but you were angry with the situation she put you in?" Dr. Lipschitz kept questioning and Harvey nodded in confirmation. "I can see that, Harvey. You are a man who likes to be in charge. In this case there's a big change coming up for you and I get that you feel like you had no say in it."

"I guess that's true. I like my life how it is and I thought the way Donna and I work, things could keep going on like this in the long haul." he reasoned.

"It sounds to me as if you and Donna have never discussed having a family of your own before?" Lipschitz asked.

"No, we haven't." Harvey answered.

"But you and Donna have been colleagues and friends for so many years before you started dating. Did the topic of children never come up?" Dr. Lipschitz sounded slightly intrigued.

Harvey wracked his brain about past conversations he had with Donna that might have concerned having a family. He came up short. "No, actually. I mean over the years we have often talked about our own parents and their shortcomings, but we never really discussed having kids on our own."

"Since you brought up the topic of your parents, why exactly did you feel the need to go see your family?" the psychologist asked picking up on Harvey's trail of thought.

"Well, at first I really just wanted to see my brother. I mean, he has two children, so I thought talking to him could help." Harvey explained.

"Help with what? Dr. Lipschitz gave him a questioning look as he fiddled with his pen.

"I don't really know. Maybe I was hoping for some advice", he reasoned, "I mean, he has two kids, so…" he trailed off.

"So what were the questions you wanted to ask of him?" Lipschitz asked Harvey.

"I wanted to know how he knew he was ready to have children." Harvey answered sounding somewhat frustrated.

"What did your brother say?"

"He said _I just knew_. So that wasn't really helpful." He replied.

"Didn't he tell you anything else?" the doctor prodded Harvey.

"Not really. Of course he gushed about how great it is to have a family of your own, but well, I know his kids are great, but…" Harvey ran a hand through his hair, trying to find the right words.

"-Their life isn't like yours?" Dr. Lipschitz supplied.

"Exactly! Marcus has always been the type to settle down, have 2.5 kids and a white picket fence – well apart from his gambling problems of course – but he was always more of a family man than I was. He met his wife in high school. He forgave our mother her infidelity within days. He and I – we are simply different, always have been."

"Actually. Harvey, I think I disagree." Lipschitz interjected.

"You don't even know Marcus." Harvey said in a slightly sullen tone.

"I know what you told me about him. And I know what you told me about yourself."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Harvey asked.

"You say your brother is a family man – loyal to his mom and to his first girlfriend whom he married and had children with. Now lets take a look at you and the people in your live. Your _chosen_ family." The psychologist explained.

"My _what_?"

"The people you started to surround yourself with after your falling out with your mother. Take Donna, Jessica or Louis for example, or your former protégée Mike. Once they were in your life you have always tried your best to keep them around – even if you didn't do so knowingly. They are your chosen family. And you are loyal to them. So from what I hear about your brother, I think you two may possibly more alike than you realize." Lipschitz explained; leaving Harvey dumbfounded.

"That's not the same." He reasoned.

"Isn't it? Tell me, how many years have you known Donna? How long have you been loyal to each other? Professionally? As friends?"

"14 years", Harvey whispered.

"And how is that different from the loyalty Marcus shares with his mother or his wife?" Lipschitz asks lightly, knowing he made his point. "But, I seem to recall we were discussing your visit with your brother. What happened when you realized your brother didn't have the answers you needed?"

"He sic mom on me." Harvey sighed.

"You spoke with your mother? What did she have to say?"

"She told me she didn't know if she was ready to have kids when she got pregnant with me, either." Harvey told Dr. Lipschitz. "She wanted to travel with dad, pursue her painting and so on. Having me hadn't been part of her plans back then."

"Did she tell you what changed her mind?" the doctor asked.

"Apparently my father did. She said he had been so over the moon to hear he was going to be a dad that eventually she got used to the idea as well." Harvey explained.

"Was that all she told you?"

"No. She said that having me and Marcus turned out to be the best thing that happened to her and my father and that sometimes it still irks her that only dad realized this right from the start."

"So what you're saying is that your mother didn't know how wonderful having a child could be until she experienced it?" Lipschitz asked.

"I suppose so, yeah." Harvey agreed.

"So I'll just take a wild guess" Dr. Lipschitz continued while leaning back in his armchair, "The talk with your family gave you the courage to go and face Donna and then she blindsided you by reacting to the pregnancy just the way your mother did?"

Harvey's eyes widened. He hadn't even made that connection, but when he thought about it, Stan's guess made sense. "Yeah. I suppose I was relying on Donna to be that one to make me see how wonderful it is to have children – like dad did to mom. I guess I was wrong."

"Then maybe Donna is the one who needs you to realize that. Because from what I hear, you have already made up your mind about having this child." Dr. Lipschitz mused.

Harvey gave him a knowing smile.

"Mazel Tov, Harvey. Mazel Tov."

* * *

Donna couldn't even hide the tension she felt when she sat in her OB/GYN's waiting room. She wasn't sure if it was the other waiting women with their rounded bellies of various sizes, some of them with a partner or another small child in tow, or the large and colorful posters that informed about a child's development within the womb that added to her uneasiness. She felt like the odd one out – that was certainly new, for she had never felt that way when she went for her annual pap smear.

After having successfully tried to avoid Harvey all day at work for the past two days she finally had another appointment with her doctor. She still had so many questions that she had even debated calling her mother of all people but had then decided against it. Her mother would have a field day when she heard her only daughter got herself knocked up –out of wedlock– just shy of her 43rdbirthday. After two rows with Harvey she decided to postpone that particular talk to another day. But who else was there to ask for advice? Most of her friendships had suffered greatly under her crazy working hours and most of them had reverted to polite _Happy Birthday_ and _Merry Christmas_ wishes via text message over the years.

Oh, how she missed Rachel! She would have been her go-to person in a crisis like this. Feeling ashamed she realized that she hadn't even broken the news that she was dating Harvey to her yet. A few weeks ago she and Harvey had playfully decided they would wait until they could somehow surprise Mike and Rachel about their relationship in person. Uneasiness spread through her stomach. What if there was no more relationship to inform her friends of once the dust settled?

In the end Donna had almost been desperate enough to call Louis, but had quickly decided against. Of course Louis had become a special friend to her over the years and they had often spilled out their hearts to each other about one thing or the other. But Louis was the wrong person to talk to when discussing having a baby for a multitude of reasons. First of all, he would be stressed out about the fact that she got pregnant accidentally while he and Sheila were trying so hard to conceive. And even if he managed to get over this fact to have a proper conversation, Louis was very opinionated about having children and Donna wasn't sure if her concerns would even register with him. To top it all he was also Harvey's best friend now that Mike was on the other side of the country and he too, was still blissfully unaware his two friends were dating.

No, Donna had to turn to someone else to discuss her fears and concerns and so her OB/GYN would have to do. After being called into the examination room Donna sat down in front of the doctor's desk. She had been a patient of Dr. Brown for nearly a decade and quite liked the woman's sweet nature.

"So, Donna, I must admit I was a little surprised when I received the papers from your GP. You didn't mention trying for a child the last time we were here", the elder woman remarked not unkindly while looking over her reading glasses at Donna. For a second Donna thought she looked a little like Gretchen when she did that.

Donna huffed. "Yeah, well. This happened kind of unexpectedly, actually." She then proceeded to tell her doctor about her birth control failing.

"I see. You know these things sometimes just happen, right? There are no absolute foolproof contraceptives other than a hysterectomy. So don't beat yourself up over it. Have you decided how you want to proceed?" the doctor asked carefully.

"That's actually kind of why I'm here. I still haven't decided what to do and I was hoping to get some blanks filled before I do." Donna said, clearly uncomfortable to even talk about this.

The doctor gave Donna a long look. "Okay, then why don't we start with what we already know", she then proceeded to list the information her GP already gathered from the blood test and the ultrasound. "So the size of the embryo matches the date of the last period before conception and that puts you at 8 weeks and 1 day today, is that correct?"

Donna just nodded.

"Well, I'd like to perform an ultrasound of my own just to be sure, but from what I see, everything looks like it's supposed to at this stage", the doctor continued while comparing the ultrasound scans with the other GP's notes.

After discussing the symptoms Donna felt which lead her to see a doctor in the first place, the Dr. Brown carefully put her papers away and gave her patient a pointed look. "From what I gather here we are dealing with a perfectly normal pregnancy at 8 weeks. So why don't we go ahead and fill in those blanks of yours. What is it that makes you unsure whether to proceed with this pregnancy?"

Donna looked to the ground, unable to meet her doctor's eyes as she starts explaining. "I suppose it stems from my personal situation rather than my health, I think." She said and paused for a moment before elaborating. "It's the timing more than anything. I just got promoted to a job that I fought really hard to get a little while ago and I still feel like I have to defend myself for getting that promotion in the first place. I work 12 hours a day, sometimes 6 days a week. That's what is expected of me, as well." Donna continued. "To top it all, I just started a fresh relationship. I mean we've known each other a long time, because we are coworkers and friends, but I literally got pregnant on the first night we spent together, so…" Donna realized she was rambling so she stopped herself and looked at her doctor. "Well, that's the story in a nutshell, I suppose."

"Donna. As a OB/GYN I often have women sitting in your chair explaining to me why having the child they are currently carrying doesn't fit in their lives for a multitude of reasons. You weren't the first and you won't be the last, so don't worry about it. And I will tell you what I tell all of those women: If you feel like the reasons you have for not having this baby outweigh the ones for keeping it, I will proceed to tell you about your options for ending this pregnancy. So now you told me why you shouldn't have a baby, but I want you to think about reasons in favor of having a child first."

Donna was surprised by her doctor's request but immediately understood her motivation. Maybe she was too focused on the negative repercussions? She thought a moment before starting to speak. "When I was young I kind of saw myself as a mother one day, you know, the way many young girls think of having a family of their own one day while playing with their dolls. I think I forgot about that when my parents separated in a pretty ugly manner after my father lost our money in a bad business deal. I don't think I thought about children much after that – but I also have never been in a really serious relationship before. I mean now I am, but it's all just so new! Maybe if Harvey and I had gotten together sooner, I'd have eventually given the idea of starting a family a thought, but-… I don't know if that's good enough."

"Donna, I think you left out one very important factor so far." The elder doctor fiddled with her pen, as if trying to find the right words. "I don't know how to put this delicately, but I think you forgot to factor in your _age_." Donna gave her doctor a startled look. If there was another topic she was uncomfortable with, it was her age. "Don't get this the wrong way, but you look like one of these women to me who feel like 40 is the new 30 and I think in many ways that might even be true, because age is a subjective feeling. However, no matter how hard you try, your ovaries won't receive that message. Truth is, I have a lot more women in their early forties coming in here with the first telltale symptoms of menopause than those who just naturally conceived their first child", she says pointedly. "So what I'm trying to say is, that you need to be very aware of the fact that _if_ you decide to terminate this pregnancy, you likely won't have the option to try again later on like a woman in her twenties or thirties would."

"So you're saying this is basically my last shot at becoming a mother?" Donna asked, clearly touched by her doctor's words.

"Well, I'd never say never- after all you managed to hit that below one percent chance of getting pregnant despite using birth control. But yeah, the older you get the smaller the odds become." Dr. Brown explained.

"So I don't only have to decide whether to have a baby now, I have to decide whether I want to have a child _at all_?" Donna whispered, her throat suddenly feeling dry.

The doctor leaned in closer towards her patient and smiled as she put her hand on top of Donna's. "Oh honey, I think you already have."


	10. Chapter 10

_Okay, I'm so sorry for the delay, but here's an extra long chapter to make up for it. I actually wrote parts of it months ago when s8 just started, but other parts really took a long time for me to put into words. Then, just yesterday I wrote a full chapter that won't fit into the storyline until much later, but maybe that was the motivation I needed to actually finish the very next chapter first. I greatly appreciate all your reviews, they mean a lot to me!_

 _By the way, has anyone noticed that the beginning of this story might not be so unlike the ending of 8.16? :P_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Suits or its characters_

* * *

He could feel the blood rush in his ears and he clumsily tucked his tie loose. Even though he was breathing hard, his lungs couldn't seem to get enough oxygen. Harvey was familiar with the telltale signs of an oncoming panic attack, but he pushed himself onwards as he was half walking, half running down the long hallway of the hospital towards the emergency room.

He had just finished the last of his morning coffee and was ready to head downstairs where Ray was waiting to pick him up, when an unfamiliar number called his phone.

 _"Is this Harvey Specter?"_ an equally unfamiliar female voice asked.

"Yes, that's me." Harvey answered, wondering who was on the other end of the line.

 _"This is Mt. Sinai hospital. We have you listed as emergency contact for Miss Donna Paulsen._ " Harvey literally felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach like a heavy stone as the woman continued. _"Ms. Paulsen was brought into the emergency room this morning following a car accident-"_

"Oh my god, is she alright?" Harvey interrupted her, dread spreading through his every pore. _Donna. The baby._

 _"Sir, I can't give you any details over the phone. It was requested that I contact you and ask you to come to the hospital. Ms. Paulsen's doctor will fill you in on the details."_

He finally reached the front desk of the emergency department. Catching his breath, he enquired after Donna.

"Yes, of course, follow me Mr. Specter." The woman he addressed got up and motioned for him to follow. The emergency room was a large area and bustling with activity; Doctors, nurses, EMTs were all busying themselves with patients, doing paperwork and moving equipment. Turning several corners Harvey understood why the nurse did not simply give him directions, he would have gotten lost for sure. Finally they arrived in a large treatment area with several beds, some of them hidden from his view with a privacy curtain. The nurse drew back one of the curtains and ushered Harvey towards the bed, before closing the curtain behind him and walking back to her desk.

The lump in his throat eased up slightly as he saw that Donna was awake, albeit openly crying, her mascara having left black track marks down her cheeks. "Harvey", she sobbed, fresh tears pooling in her eyes when she noticed him. Harvey was by her side in an instant.

He took a moment to take in the situation. Donna was alone, no doctor or nurse currently at her bedside, despite the fact that there were several of them busying themselves with other patients in the room. He hoped that this was a good sign. Donna lay semi-reclined on the bed, still in her fancy business dress. Someone had put her shoes and handbag next to her bare feet at the bottom of the bed. She must have been on her way to the office when the accident happened.

Her right arm had a tight grip on her left elbow, as if holding the arm in place. There was a trail of dried blood on the side of her face and there were small cuts all over her left arm and leg. A large purple bruise seemed to be forming on her left knee as well.

"Donna. What happened?" Harvey asked.

Donna looked at him for a moment, though not answering, with sobs still wracking her body every now and then. Harvey noticed that she was also shaking a little. "Hasn't a doctor looked you over yet?" Harvey wondered aloud, suddenly angry that Donna appeared to have been left like this.

At this moment an attending doctor entered from behind the privacy curtain and greeted Harvey. "Hello. I'm Dr. James. Are you Harvey Specter?" he asked as he took Donna's vitals and noted them on a chart.

Harvey confirmed his identity with a nod and waited for the doctor to continue talking.

"Is the pain getting a little better now?" the doctor asked Donna directly, who only gave a small nod in return. "I'm afraid it will still be a little while before we get a slot for that MRI, but Dr. Reynolds is coming down shortly for an examination."

Feeling a little out of the loop, Harvey turned to the doctor. "What's wrong with Donna? What exactly happened? No one has been able to tell me anything."

The doctor looked down at the chart. "I don't know any details, but it says here she was the passenger in a cab that was involved in a car crash and then brought in via ambulance. We've initially diagnosed her with a grade II concussion and treated her for a small laceration at her temple. For her shoulder injury we'll need more imaging to assess the extent of the damage, but in any case she's likely to have to undergo surgery to fix the broken collarbone at the very least. Shoulder injuries tend to be quite painful, so we already gave her a dose of analgesics and a mild tranquilizer. This is why she seems a bit out of it now, but she was in quite a state of shock when she was brought in." Dr. James explained to him.

There was another question that nagged at Harvey. "Donna's pregnant. Is the baby alright?"

"Donna has informed us of the pregnancy when she was brought in and has been treated accordingly. This is why we're going to forego x-rays in favor for an MRI to look at her shoulder. Since she said she isn't experiencing any abdominal pain or hemorrhage, chances are good that everything is just fine. Nevertheless Dr. Reynolds, our resident OB/GYN, will be down shortly for further tests just to be sure." Dr. James said and as he went to leave he added: "A nurse will come by and bring a hospital gown before Dr. Reynolds gets here. I'll come back once I have a green light from the radiology department for that MRI."

Harvey thanked the doctor before turning to Donna. "You hear that? I'm sure everything will be fine." He wanted to say more, tell her how sorry he was for being such a dick since she informed him of the baby and how scared he was of losing her when he got the call from the hospital. However, seeing how miserable Donna was lying on that hospital cot, he decided that comforting her was more important now. She was no longer sobbing, her dried tears leaving her eyes bloodshot and glassy. Since she wouldn't let go of her left arm for him to hold her hand, Harvey put his hand to her head and slowly caressed the side of her face and what he hoped was a soothing motion.

A short time later an elderly nurse came by bringing one of those standard hospital gowns and asked Harvey to assist her in helping Donna change. By team effort they carefully eased Donna out of her formfitting designer dress while trying not to jostle her shoulder too much. Harvey apologized profusely when Donna cried out in pain even at the smallest movement of her left arm. The nurse advised them to also take off all of Donna's jewelry, as she couldn't leave it on for the MRI. Fumbling a little with the delicate clasps of the necklace and earrings, Harvey carefully stashed them away in Donna's purse while the nurse wiped her face clean of the dried blood and runny make-up. Carefully they helped Donna ease back onto the bed.

"I want to go home." Donna whispered once they were alone again and Harvey realized it was the first time she had spoken since he arrived. Her voice sounded off and her gaze was somewhat unfocused. The drugs they had given her were obviously in full effect by now.

"Hey, you need to hang in there, Donna. They still need to look at your shoulder, remember?" Harvey tried to reassure her softly. He had gotten a closer look at her shoulder while undressing her and finally knew why the doctor was convinced the collarbone was broken without having taken an x-ray. Although the bone hadn't cut the skin, there was an obvious dent on Donna's skin where her clavicle usually ran along and was slowly turning a nasty shade of purple as well. He decided that now wasn't the time to remind Donna that the doctor thought it would need to be fixed surgically.

Harvey took a moment to glance at the clock on his phone. "Look, I'll just step outside for a moment to let Robert know the two of us won't be in today, okay?" he told Donna before quietly slipping away from her cot with his fingers already scrolling through his contacts to find Robert's number. After quickly updating the managing partner about this morning's events he nearly bumped into a woman wheeling a cart with some medical equipment towards him. Pressing out a quick apology he recognized the equipment as an ultrasound machine. As if on cue, a female doctor with the nametag "Reynolds" joined the nurse who was moving the cart. Realizing they were here to examine Donna, Harvey followed the two women wordlessly back behind the curtain.

He sat down back on the stool next to the bed as the doctor introduced herself to Donna and explained that she would do a pelvic exam and an ultrasound to see if everything was still in order after the accident. Harvey noticed Donna had reluctantly let go of her injured shoulder with her right hand and he gently clasped her hand into both of his before running his hand up and down her lower arm in a comforting motion.

As the nurse helped Donna angle her legs and put a sheet over her middle the doctor started to calmly ask Donna questions regarding her pregnancy. Harvey noticed how Donna struggled to keep up with what was being said and so he helped provide whatever answers Dr. Reynolds needed in her stead.

"Okay, then let's see what we're dealing with. Have you had a transvaginal scan before, Donna?", the doctor asked kindly as she prepared the device.

"Last week." he heard Donna quietly confirm. He hadn't known that, but it made sense that she had already went and seen an OB. Harvey felt his own hands grow clammy as he realized he was about to see the little baby in Donna's womb for the first time. Inadvertently he tightened his grip on Donna's hand which causes her to look at him and give him a small encouraging smile.

"It'll be okay." She whispered and Harvey's heart soared.

"That's supposed to be my line." He answered.

"Alright, from what I can see, everything looks like it should be. See," Dr. Reynolds explained, angling the screen towards Harvey and Donna, "here's the gestational sac and it's fully intact and there's the placenta. I can see no lesions or blood clots, so it looks like your little one took no harm in the crash."

Harvey let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding as he watched the moving black and white image on the screen.

"Oh look, someone seems to be quite active today" the doctor exclaimed as she zoomed in on the little white body in the black bubble. Sure enough, Harvey did not need to be an expert to identify the shape of a small body with a big head with tiny beginnings of arms and legs that were wriggling about within the amniotic sac.

"That's awesome." Harvey leaned in to take a closer look at the screen before turning towards Donna. "Can you feel that?"

"It's a little early for that. The image is not to scale." Dr. Reynolds answered for Donna, whose gaze remained transfixed on the screen as well. "Give me a moment and I'll tell you how big the fetus is at the moment." He watched on as the doctor took measurements before pointing to the small fluttering heart within the baby's ribcage. Pushing a few buttons on the ultrasound machine, the room was suddenly filled with a fast whooshing thumping sound. Harvey thought he never heard a more beautiful sound.

"You are 9 weeks now, is that correct?" Dr. Reynolds asked and Donna gave a small nod. Harvey noticed that she was crying again and squeezed her hand. "Okay, according to my measurements the fetus is almost a full inch in length, so you could say it's about the size of a cherry at the moment, which fits the gestational age exactly."

They continued to watch their little baby on the screen wriggle about for a few more moments before the doctor finished up her examination. "Okay, everything looks in order despite your accident and I don't expect there'll be any resulting complications. All I can say is to take it easy for a little while, Donna, but since I believe you'll be kept here for a few days anyways I'm afraid that won't matter much. So I guess all that is left for me to say is congratulations to you both and get well again soon, Donna."

Harvey thanked the doctor before turning towards Donna who appeared to be quite overwhelmed with emotions. He could tell that this entire ordeal was taking a toll on her physically and emotionally. He felt like he'd been run through the mill himself and he wasn't the one who was injured.

"I'm going to keep the baby", Donna told him quietly once they were alone as she looked at him through teary eyes. He had suspected this already, but it was still good to hear her say the words. He would probably have fought her tooth and nail if she had decided differently in order to change her mind about it, but he was glad they wouldn't have to go down that route. They had fought enough lately as it was.

"I'm glad." He simply offered instead, letting his relief show.

"I'm not giving up my job, though" she added carefully and sounding far more lucid than she had been ever since he arrived at the hospital.

"I understand. Honestly Donna, I really do. We'll figure this out." Harvey carefully wiped the last of her tears away from her cheek and bent down to kiss her temple. After a while he noticed her eyes fall closed in exhaustion. "Try to rest a little, I'm sure it'll be a while till the doctor comes back."

"Stay here?" she mumbled, already half asleep.

"I'll stay here." Harvey confirmed.

He used the time to send text messages back and forth with Louis, asking his friend to try and get more information on Donna's accident. He needed to know whichever asshole was responsible for putting Donna in the hospital. He'd make sure whoever it was would regret the day they were born once he was through with them. Thankfully, Louis readily agreed and promised to bring him all the necessary information to the hospital later today.

It wasn't long before nurses came to collect Donna for the MRI and he felt bad for having to wake Donna from her short nap. Afterwards, the doctor from the ER came to see them in one of the private examination rooms. He quickly rattled down details of Donna's injury, but all that registered with Harvey at this point is that the shoulder injury in addition to the broken clavicle was worse than expected and that it would need to be fixed right away in order to decrease the likelihood of permanent nerve damage. Harvey barely found time to ask questions about the procedure while he signed the multiple forms that were being thrust under his nose by the young doctor. From the corner of his eyes he saw Donna being helped to an adjoining bathroom on wobbly legs by a nurse and a candy striper.

After being handed another stack of forms that could wait until Donna was in surgery, he finally found time return his attention to the woman in question. Having returned from her short bathroom trip, the candy striper was just finishing up loosely braiding Donna's hair away from her bad shoulder before hiding the braid beneath a surgical cap.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" he asked gently.

"I feel like cattle getting prepped for slaughter." She answered with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. The exhaustion was evident on her face and Harvey was glad they would perform the surgery right away and not keep them up and waiting any longer. The sooner her shoulder was fixed, the sooner she could start to recuperate.

"It'll be over before you know it. And in the meantime, I'll make sure you'll get the nicest accommodations of this fine establishment." Harvey tried to joke as another nurse joined them in order to wheel Donna's bed towards the surgical unit. He went with them until he wasn't allowed any further and squeezed Donna's right hand once more in encouragement before the group disappeared behind closed doors.


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's note: I'm so sorry for taking so long, but the end of 8.16 really blew me away! Did anyone else have the feeling that their entire idea of Darvey fanfics needed to be re-evaulated? It almost felt like a post-high stupor for me. Most my fanfic ideas were based around the two of them not acting on their feelings and now they finally did! But thanks to you guys and your kind reviews I finally got into a writing mood again to finish up the latest chapter. If it is any consolation: It's the longest thus far. More reviews are greatly appreciated._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

* * *

Donna woke to a throbbing ache in her shoulder. Taking in the dim light of the room she was in, the past days' events slowly came back to her. She had been in an accident, even though her memory of the event itself was somewhat lacking. She remembered feeling trapped in the vehicle, shards of glass everywhere around her, panicking at the blood that ran down her temple and onto her leg while feeling a searing pain in her left shoulder. Strangers whose faces she could not even remember had moved her out of the car and onto the cold pavement. An elderly man had sat next to her and told her that help was on the way and she would be okay. Turning her head towards the other side she saw people performing CPR on another person. The memory was fuzzy, but she did remember repeating 'I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant' like a mantra to the EMT that tended to her in the ambulance.

And then suddenly Harvey was there with her in the ER. She remembered him holding her hand as they were watching the baby move on the ultrasound, all safe and sound in its little bubble deep within her womb. He had stayed with her until they had prepped her for surgery. She barely remembered anything afterwards, but she did remember feeling disoriented, nauseous and in pain whenever she woke. In any case, Harvey had been there with her the whole time.

Feeling the need to use the bathroom, she pushed the call button. The first night after the surgery she hadn't been able to get out of bed at all and had made a humiliating first acquaintance with the concept of bed pans, so yesterday she had insisted on using the adjoining bathroom whenever she needed to go, even if it took both a nurse and Harvey to actually haul her sorry arse there. The experience had left her frustrated, nauseous and utterly exhausted each time. Today, she actually felt well enough to want try and regain some more independence by using the bathroom alone, however, with one arm immobilized in a sling and the other connected to an IV pole, there was little she could do about it.

"Is your husband coming in today as well?" the elderly nurse asked Donna as they slowly made their trek towards her private bathroom.

"Who? Harvey?" Donna asked, deciding not to correct the nurse's assumption. "I guess so. He might have to go to work today, though. It's not often one of us takes a day off and with me being out for the count, he might have a little more on his plate than usual."

"So handsome _and_ supportive. You hit a jackpot there I'd say", the nurse gushed. "If only I were 20 years younger…" she playfully sighed as an afterthought. He was handsome, without a doubt, but Donna had to smile at the thought of Harvey Specter being perceived as a supportive and compassionate person- if the nurse only knew about his professional reputation.

After she finished relieving herself, the nurse helped her freshen up with a washcloth and brushing her teeth. Chancing a glance in the mirror, Donna hardly recognized herself. Naturally, the harsh artificial light of the room wasn't flattering in the least, but the stark contrast of the dark circles under her eyes to the rest of her sickly pale complexion looked even worse than the angry purple discoloration on her left temple. Her hair looked dull and unkempt and was in fact still in the very same braid it was put in just before surgery. For a moment Donna wondered what state her hair would be in by the time she was finally allowed to shower properly.

The nurse gave her an apologetic look as she moved to put her in a fresh hospital gown. "If the doctor decides to remove your IV, we may at least get you out of these gowns and into proper clothes. As long as we can manage around the sling, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to wear your own things. It'll surely make you more comfortable."

The nurse motioned towards a bag she instantly recognized as Harvey's own weekender bag. Of course, how else would she be holding her own toothbrush? "Do you want to take a look?" the nurse asked.

Donna shook her head, deciding that her curiosity to which items Harvey would have deemed important enough to bring for her didn't outweigh the exhaustion and pain she felt at the moment. "No, I think I want to lie back down now."

Once she was comfortably settled back in bed and given her morning dose of painkillers along with some tea to drink, the door to her room was opened carefully and quietly as if the person on the other side of the door was trying not to wake her. She couldn't help but smile when she saw it was Harvey.

"You needn't be quiet, I'm up." She told him before he even turned to look at her. He was startled for a second as if he hadn't expected her to be awake and then returned her smile a hundredfold.

"Hey there. It's good to see you awake for a change." He said softly before moving to her bedside.

"You mean awake and not puking or crying." She answered teasingly, remembering her not so fine moments in the past two days.

"Well, I was trying to be a gentleman and not mention it", he replied, giving her his famous Specter grin before cocking an eyebrow at her. "Honestly though, how are you feeling?"

"Well, definitely much better than the past two days. I haven't thrown up and if I can keep my breakfast down the doctor is going to remove the IV -which by the way is itching like a bitch, so I have all the motivation I need." She explained, not feeling the need to inform him that she was still waiting for the painkillers to kick in and numb her painfully throbbing shoulder.

"Well, it's important to have goals." Harvey agreed, unbuttoning his suit jacket before sitting down on the chair by her bedside.

"You're dressed for work." Donna couldn't help but observe. He'd been wearing casual clothes yesterday, if she recalled correctly.

"Unfortunately, yeah, I have to go in for a little while. Louis has volunteered to keep you company though, if you'd like. He wanted to come and see you yesterday, but I didn't think you were up to it." He told her softly.

"Yeah, I guess I haven't been very good company so far. Thanks for sticking around though." she told Harvey tiredly. The meds were slowly starting kicking in and she could feel the fatigue creep into her bones almost immediately.

"I might be a dick _sometimes_ , but I'm not leaving my concussed, pregnant girlfriend who is recovering from emergency surgery to deal with things alone. Plus the nurses think I'm the best boyfriend _ever_." Harvey said grinning.

"So I heard. And that's helpful how?" Donna asked, slightly amused by Harvey's explanation.

"They sometimes bring fresh coffee." He answered lightly.

The mention of coffee made Donna's stomach clench uncomfortably and she closed her eyes in discomfort.

"Sorry, too soon to talk about food?" Harvey asked, running his hand along her thigh.

Since nodding her head still wasn't a good idea without making her headache flare up she pressed out a "uh-huh" once she managed to swallow the bile that threatened to rise up her throat. Suddenly the goal of finally keeping down a meal seemed quite a lot less do-able.

With a huff she relaxed back into her pillow, before opening her eyes again. "This sucks."

"You need to give it some time", Harvey told her softly. His hand gingerly started caressing the side of her face and she gratefully leaned into the soothing coolness it provided. Suddenly his hand jerked away and Donna couldn't help but blink at him irritatedly as his palm landed on her forehead instead.

"You feel hot", he stated and from the corner of her eyes she saw him fumble with the button that alerted the nurses.

"You mean _I am_ hot. I knew that already." She mumbled, suddenly annoyed when her attempt at banter fell on deaf ears. With her eyes closed she half-heartedly listened to Harvey and the entering nurse talk about her before approaching her bed.

"Hey sweetheart, I heard you are running a fever?" the elderly nurse asked her directly before hovering over her with an IR thermometer. Donna found that she felt too befuddled to give a smart retort and instead let Harvey do the talking.

"Her temperature is at a 100.6, which is not too bad. However, Donna didn't appear feverish earlier, so it might still be climbing. I'll notify Dr. Parsons and he'll look into it." She heard the nurse tell him before leaving.

Dr. Parsons was a balding, middle-aged doctor with a very calming nature and Donna recognized him as the doctor who had taken a look at the incision sites the day before. He told them that a postoperative fever was a fairly common occurrence and that it was most likely going to go away on its own with the pain meds she was receiving. After inspecting her head wound and her shoulder once again he assured Harvey that the incisions looked good, but they were going to monitor the fever closely just in case.

"Hey. Do you wanna eat some toast before you go back sleep?" Harvey's soft voice roused her from a semi-slumber she hadn't even noticed she was succumbing to.

"Maybe later", she mumbled, not really feeling up for breakfast. Being sick sucked.

"Have some more tea at least. The doctor said you have to keep hydrated." Without waiting for a reply Harvey refilled the cup at her bedside table.

"Fine." Donna relented, motioning to him to hand her the cup. Her gaze fell towards the needle on the back of her right hand. "I guess there went my chance to get rid of that I.V."

"Sorry." Harvey quipped.

"Damn it." She sighed.

* * *

An undeterminable time later, Donna awoke to find somebody else occupying Harvey's chair. "Hey Louis", she greeted her friend with a sleepy voice.

Louis looked up from the book he seemed to be engrossed in and his eyes lit up at the sight of her. "Donna! How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Shall I get a nurse?"

"Slow down, Louis. I'm okay, - well, as okay as I can be with this." She said, gesturing to her injured shoulder.

Louis put the book he was reading aside and moved his chair closer to her bedside. "My God, we were so worried about you, Donna."

"It was just a car accident, Louis. They happen. It was just bad luck." Donna told him and gave him an encouraging smile.

"On the contrary, Donna. You were damn lucky." Louis told her in a choked up voice.

"But I'll be fine and that's what counts." She replied, touched by his words.

"Yes, I guess that's true", he agreed. Louis moved towards the thermos on her bedside table and poured tea into her cup. "Harvey said you were running a fever earlier and that you need to drink lots of fluids", he explained handing her the full cup. "Are sure you don't need anything else?"

"If the two of you keep forcing me to drink all the time, I might need another bathroom break in a short while, but no Louis, I'm fine. Really." She replied while accepting the cup from him. Taking a sip, Donna realized that for once her stomach wasn't clenching from nausea, but from another familiar feeling. "Actually, I think I could eat something."

"Of course, Donna." Louis replied and left the room to speak to a nurse. It didn't take long for him to return with a tray that he set up so she could easily reach everything with her good hand.

"Thanks." She said gratefully, before reaching for a bagel, deciding it was best to try the plain food first. "Okay, now tell me: How is he?" she asked her friend before taking a bite of her bagel.

"What do you mean? How's who?" Louis asked confused.

Donna gave him a look. "I may be in a hospital bed, but I'm still _me_. I _know_ when Harvey is not himself."

Louis sighed. "Harvey was just really worried, that's all. I don't think I have ever seen him this upset. You're important to him, Donna."

"I know he was worried, but something is eating at him. I could see it in his face." Donna sighed. "Louis, I don't know if Harvey has said anything to you about him and I, but-"

Louis interrupted her. "You don't have to explain. Harvey told me everything."

"Everything?" Donna asked, not sure if Louis even knew what 'everything' was. Their relationship? The baby? Judging Louis behavior she would take a guess that he did know about them seeing each other, but not about the pregnancy. She knew her friend- he would be upset about this piece of news for sure.

"Everything." Louis confirmed. "We were waiting for you to get out of surgery for quite a while. So we had a lot of time to talk."

"Louis, listen- I know Harvey and I should have told you about us seeing each other sooner, but we kind of hit a rough patch just when we at the point of letting people know." Donna explained. Truth was, she wasn't even sure how long she and Harvey would have kept quiet about their relationship even if she hadn't gotten pregnant. However, they had just started being less careful about hiding it, so it had really just been a matter of time until someone noticed anyways.

"I know. I mean, I knew you two were must have had a fallout. One day you two were as close as ever and then suddenly you were avoiding each other like the plague. I may not be as observant as you, Donna, but it wasn't hard to guess that something had happened between you two." Louis explained. "But then Harvey told me that-" Louis shook his head in disbelief before continuing in a softer tone "Donna, you could have told me. You could have talked to me. I mean – a baby!"

Donna watched as his face literally lit up at that last word. "So Harvey really has told you everything, huh?" she asked and picked at her bagel as she continued. "I figure it is still a little early to tell people anyways, but I was afraid of telling you. I wanted to, but I couldn't."

"Why?" Louis asked.

"Two reasons really. At first it was because I didn't even know if I wanted to keep the baby and I knew you have a strong opinion about this." Louis looked like he was about to interrupt her but she gave him a look that silenced him. "And the second reason was because I was ashamed. You are trying so hard to start a family with Sheila and there your two best friends go and get pregnant by accident." Donna felt tears make their way down her cheeks at her admission.

"No, no, no, don't cry Donna! Listen, I can't say I'm not a little jealous that the two of you are having a baby you didn't even plan to conceive when Sheila and I are doing everything we can to get pregnant. You know I tend to get jealous easily, that's who I am. But the truth is, Sheila and I haven't been trying that long yet, so it may still happen for us. And secondly: It's a baby! How can I be mad at that? As a matter of fact, I have a present for you. Well for both you and Harvey really." he said picking up the large book he had been reading from when she woke up, turning it around so she could read the cover.

"You brought us a baby book?" Donna exclaimed softly, feeling her tears well up again at this gesture.

"No, Donna, this is _the_ baby book. It covers everything from pregnancy, birth and baby's first 12 months." Louis explained as if he were holding the holy bible.

"Thank you, Louis, this is perfect. I suppose we have a lot to learn." Donna said with a chocked up voice, wiping her eyes with her good hand.

"Damn right. I couldn't have my two best friends -who seem to have forgotten all about sex ed classes- run headfirst into a wall of ignorance. So it is my duty as the honorary uncle of this poor child to at least get you two educated as to which end to feed and which end to put the diaper on." Louis quipped as he put down the book on her bedside table.

A sound that was a mix between a laugh and a sob escaped her throat. There was the old Louis she had come to love.

"Seriously, Donna. I already told Harvey the same thing, but if you need to talk, I'm here, okay? Harvey told me you are worrying how to fit a baby in your work schedule, so I'll tell you now: If you ever need any extra help once the baby is here, I'm there to help with that as well."

She couldn't help to laugh at this. "Louis, you work the same crazy hours we do!"

"But what I meant to say is that there is more than one Harvard educated brain around to help you figure this out, okay?" Louis said softly and Donna knew he meant every word he said.

With her right hand she searched his to squeeze it. "When did you get so wise, Louis?"

"Years of therapy. And a secretary turned friend who knocks me in the right direction whenever appropriate." Louis replied humorously.


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's note: Thanks for the reviews guys, they mean a lot to me! I hope you find the angst/fluff/humor ratio I chose for this chapter agreeable!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

* * *

Donna smiled at him as he entered her hospital room in the early hours of the evening. Usually, he would still be at the office at this hour, but it seemed like everyone at the firm was cutting him some slack so he could make frequent visits to the hospital during visiting hours. Donna was wearing a thick woolen cardigan over her nightclothes that effectively hid her immobilized arm from view as she sat upright in her bed. He recognized the heavy tome that was lying across her lap as the baby book Louis had gifted them.

"Hey", he greeted her before bending down to give her a soft kiss.

"Hey yourself", she greeted in return. "So what's new?" she asked him.

Harvey made himself comfortable on the visitor's chair and glanced at the flower arrangements on Donna's window sill that seemed to have multiplied in numbers every time he entered the room in the past few days. "Well, let's see. Samantha is butting heads with Eric Kaldor and Alex has vanished on some private mission for Robert. Louis keeps sending me e-mails about prospective kindergarten choices and _someone_ who isn't my assistant keeps sending me appointment alerts for client meetings and budget reviews." Harvey gave Donna a pointed look. "I never should have given you your phone back. You're supposed to rest."

Donna looked at him mischievously. "I assure you I've been resting in bed all day. I only send out a few e-mails."

"Louis came by my office and told me to _relay his gratitude_ for your help with the performance review paperwork for the first years." He added.

"I still had the templates from last year – I only needed to update the names."

"-And then Samantha accosted me in the kitchen, telling me to stop you from badgering her about her expense account again." He said finishing his list. "Which means you already checked the expense accounts – it is only the fourth, so you couldn't have received those any sooner than yesterday."

"I did check them yesterday – after you _finally_ gave me my phone!" she answered, humor lacing her voice. "I only took care of some e-mails, it's not a big deal, Harvey."

He sighed dramatically and gave Donna a surrendering look, knowing it was no use to press the issue any further. He was glad that she was doing so much better, but the memories of her being sick and miserable the days following the surgery were still vivid on his mind. He could feel his heartbeat accelerate at the thought of how much worse it could have been. No, he would not let his mind wander there, not while he was here with Donna.

* * *

 _Harvey had just slumped into one of the cushioned seats in the waiting area near the OR when he saw Louis hurrying towards him. His face looked grim and Harvey wondered if the content of the folder his friend was carrying put that look on his face._

 _"_ _How is she?" Louis asked concerned._

 _"_ _Uh… she's in surgery. Her shoulder took a pretty bad hit and her collar bone is broken. They're fixing it right now." Harvey answered quietly._

 _"_ _But she'll be okay?" Louis pressed out, clutching the folder tightly in his hands._

 _"_ _She's also got bruises and a concussion, so she was pretty shocked and in pain, naturally, but that's the gust of it. No life-threatening injuries, thank God."_

 _Louis audibly sighed in relief. "So she was awake? She'll be fine?"_

 _"_ _Yeah Louis, she'll be fine." Harvey answered quietly, as if to convince himself._

 _"_ _Thank God, indeed", his friend replied._

 _They sat in silence for a moment, though Louis kept fiddling with the folder he was holding. Harvey wondered if he should tell his friend about him and Donna. He felt like he should talk to someone._

 _Instead he asked: "Were you able get any information about the accident?"_

 _Louis held up the folder. "It's right here. I came directly from the police department. Told them I was Donna's attorney. It took some convincing, but I got the police report and photos of the wreckage, everything else will take a few days." He paused. "Are you sure you want to see this?" he asked, realizing Harvey was also quite shaken up._

 _"_ _Yeah, I want to know which son of a bitch I need to rip a new one for putting Donna in a hospital." He would surely feel better if he were able to channel his anger onto a deserving recipient._

 _Louis handed him the file, but did not release his on grip on it right away. "That's just it, Harvey. From the looks of it, it was a freak accident – and Donna is the only survivor."_

 _The panic attack that Harvey had successfully kept at bay all morning burst out at full force the moment he saw the picture of the totaled cab._

* * *

"Are you okay?" he heard her ask and Harvey realized he had zoned out on her anyways.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." He replied, hoping she would let it go.

"I could tell." She smiled. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I was just thinking how we need to get you back on your feet so I won't be the only sane person at the office anymore." He told her.

"That's funny, Gretchen just texted me the very same message just an hour ago", she paused for a moment, still scrutinizing him. "-And you mister, are deflecting. Again."

Harvey sighed. "I just hate seeing you in a hospital bed, that's all." He wasn't lying when he said this, but he also knew what bothered him most was how she had gotten there in the first place.

"Come here", she requested softly as she pat the bed beside her knees. Harvey did as she bid; He felt like he couldn't refuse her when she was looking at him that way. He met her halfway as she carefully leaned forward, capturing her lips in another soft kiss. His one hand sought her head and the other he wrapped carefully around her waist, always minding her immobilized arm as he did so.

How did she always know what he needed? Harvey thought as he held her close, his forehead touching hers and he relaxed instantly as he felt her warm skin on his.

"I'll be fine, Harvey. The past few days were awful and I'm sorry you had to see me like this, but I'll be out of here in no time" she whispered softly. Her right hand drew soothing circles between his shoulder blades, willing the tension away. "In fact, Dr. Parsons wants to pull the stitches the day after tomorrow and if he is happy with how the shoulder looks I'll be equipped with a Velcro sling and sent on my merry way."

This surprised Harvey. "Are you sure? Isn't it too early? I mean, you were pretty sick following the surgery."

"All I've been doing today is sleep and eat. I can do that at home, too, you know. The concussion will go away on its own and I need to take it easy with my knee until the swelling goes down. I'll have to look up a physiotherapist for my shoulder though." Donna explained patiently.

"I can give you the number of mine. He's a wizard when it comes to aching joints", Harvey relented and relaxed further into their embrace.

"Are you feeling better now?", Donnas asked, still rubbing his back.

"What do you mean?" Harvey asked confused.

"You were tense." Donna explained, "-and you have been ever since I got here." Of course, even injured and concussed, Donna would look right through him. "You can talk to me, you know that, don't you?"

"I know", he quietly relented.

"-And if you don't want to talk to me, or Louis, or even Mike, then please promise me you will go and see Dr. Lipschitz?" Donna asked.

Harvey sighed and his hand on her back pulled her closer ever so slightly. "I already did."

This answer seemed to satisfy her. They sat still in this position for a while until Donna broke the silence. "He didn't make it, did he?", she asked quietly.

"Who?" Harvey asked dumbly, even though he had an idea what she meant. Donna had never mentioned just how much she remembered of the accident.

"The cab driver. I remember people were performing CPR on him." She explained and Harvey could hear her voice quivering as she said it.

"No, he didn't. His injuries were too severe, he was pronounced dead on scene", he answered, confirming Donna's suspicion. The tension returned hundredfold as he recalled the information Louis gathered. "If you hadn't been sitting behind the passenger seat-" he had to stop himself as he swallowed the lump in his throat at the thought, "Gosh, Donna. I saw pictures of the wreck – how you got out there in one piece, I can't even-" he suddenly found it hard to breathe as his imagination ran wild.

"Harvey. I'm here. I'm fine." He heard her tell him.

"No, you're not. In case you have forgotten, we are in a hospital", he chuckled, before deliberately focusing on calming his breaths.

"But I will be. That's what matters." Donna replied and kissed his cheek before reclining back against her pillow.

"I had a panic attack. While you were in surgery. Louis was there and he got Stan to talk to me about it while you were resting that night." Harvey confessed.

Donna looked at him relieved. "Thank you for confiding in me." She then turned her head toward the flower arrangements near the window. "If the cab driver hadn't picked me up, he would probably still be alive" she said thoughtfully.

"Donna, you were commuting downtown during morning rush hour. If he hadn't picked you, he would have driven the next best stranger downtown, taking the very same route, crossing the same intersection." Harvey reasoned.

"How did it happen? I don't really remember." She asked.

"Another driver had a heart attack behind the wheel, passed out and sped into the intersection where it T-boned your cab. The guy was 81 and had a medical history with heart issues. Dumbass shouldn't have been driving at all. He passed away as well and there's no use suing a dead guy."

"That's awful." Donna only replied softly.

"What's awful is that his recklessness cost someone's life. I had Louis look into the cab drivers family. Thankfully there are no wife or kids left behind." Harvey told her.

"He still probably had friends and family who mourn him", Donna pointed out.

"Good point." Harvey answered, absentmindedly rubbing Donna's thigh as he remained sitting by her side. "I hate to think what I could have lost."

"Harvey. Don't think about that. I'm here." Donna admonished him with a slightly choked up voice. Clearly they were both affected by the direction this conversation was turning.

"-But I very nearly could have lost you. After 13 years I finally get my shit together and realize just how much you really mean to me and then this happens. We were fighting, for God's sake. I could have lost you and the last thing I would have ever said to you were nothing but angry rants." What would have become of _him_? "I could have lost you", he repeated, "-when I had just wrapped my head around the fact that we were going to have a family on our own."

"Please. Don't." Donna pleaded with him as her hand found his once more and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I'm fine. Well, we both are." She chuckled through teary eyes as she gestured towards her middle.

"And I'm glad about that, believe me." Harvey sighed. "The night before the accident, I had a hard time falling asleep and I kept imagining what it would be like leaving the office before 5 in order to attend my kid's little league game."

"No ballet recital?" Donna asked playfully.

"Of course I'd attend my daughter's ballet recitals!" Chances were that he most likely sit in the front row cheering his daughter on.

"Who says that only girls do ballet?" Donna challenged him, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Well, I guess I'd expect any daughter of mine to give little league softball a try first." Harvey answered softly. He couldn't help but wonder what their lives would be like once their little child entered the world. Not too long ago, this idea would have terrified him. But that was all in the past. As long as he had Donna, they would work everything out.

"Speaking about my little stowaway…" Donna mentions as she bends over to pick up the baby book. Opening the book cover she removed a couple of black and white pictures. "Dr. Reynolds was here earlier to do a follow up exam. Everything looks good and she gave me these. They're from the sonogram they did in the ER."

Harvey smiled in recognition at the blurry image of their tiny baby. "It's hard to believe we made that" he said as he studied the picture. "What do you think a combination of our excellent genes would look like?"

"Nothing less than perfect I would say", Donna smiled. "And look at its big head, it's like it's bound to take after you", she said humorously while pointing out the still disproportional ratio between the head and the rest of the fetus' body.

This was normal in the fetal development he had read in the book two days ago while Donna had been napping. "I hate to admit it and I'll say it out loud only once: It's a good thing Louis gave us that stupid book."

"I couldn't agree more." Donna sighed wistfully as both of them studied the picture together.


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's note: So I'm not sure if anyone is still following this Story as I had no Reviews at all for the last chapter. I took some of your past suggestions and focused on some domestic fluff in this chapter, which I hope you'll enjoy reading. Please let me know what you think, even if it is criticism because that way I at least know some people are still invested in the story and would like me to continue writing._

 _On another note: I'll be travelling to Toronto for a few days- I'm really looking forward to visiting some of the Suits outdoor sets._

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Suits or its characters._

* * *

The corridor leading to her apartment door seemed to stretch on forever. Donna hadn't expected the short journey from the hospital to her apartment to be this taxing, because Ray had picked them up right at the visitor's entrance and driven them straight here. Harvey was walking next to her, matching her rather slow pace while keeping one hand steadily on her back. Usually she would be annoyed by this gesture- after all they both weren't big on public displays of affection, but at the moment she didn't have much faith in her own ability to walk in a straight line without his guidance.

Feeling increasingly restless, she had been counting down the hours until she could finally leave the hospital, but as luck would have it she had come down with a rather vicious bout of morning sickness right this day when she should have been signing her release papers. It took some convincing- Harvey first and foremost-, who had his doubts that her sickness was caused only by pregnancy and had the doctor run every test imaginable 'just to be sure' that her nausea and low blood pressure was not in any way related to the injuries she sustained. Therefore, the whole hospital release procedure had taken far longer than expected. Donna suspected that in the end the doctor had been relieved he could finally put his signature under those release papers and was probably just as happy to see them walk through the door as Donna herself had been.

"Just a moment", Harvey said as he dropped her weekender bag at his feet and searched his pockets for the keys. Unlocking the door, he led her inside and moved the bag into the foyer before closing the door behind them.

"Do you want to lie down for a bit? I can take care of the laundry meanwhile", he offered.

"No, I actually feel like taking a bath. I really need to wash my hair", she told him as she heavily sat down on the large couch in her living room and took off her slippers. To be honest, she couldn't stand to look at the mess that used to be her beautiful hair in the mirror anymore. Now that the stitches were pulled, she could finally take a proper shower, and boy, did she need one.

She decided not to comment on the way his eyebrows rose doubtfully as he answered "Alright. Let me unpack the bag and then I'll run you a bath, okay?"

Hours later, Donna awoke from a deep sleep. Blinking at the orange glow of the setting sun through her living room curtains, she realized she must have zonked out on the couch despite her plans to take a bath first. And a deep sleep it must have been as she noticed the pillows neatly tucked beneath her head and supporting her left arm as well as the woolen blanket that covered her neck to toe. _Oh Harvey_. No wonder she had slept like a baby being tucked in like that.

Gingerly stretching her legs, Donna slowly sat up. She could hear the man in question rummaging in her laundry room and he appeared to be talking to someone on the phone. Shivering from the sudden loss of warmth she kept the blanket around her shoulders as she slowly walked towards him while trying to gauge who he was talking to by listening in to his end of the conversation.

"Yes, I'll tell her to give you a call when she's up. … Yes, I will. … Have a good day, Roe!" Harvey ended the call with a forced cheerfulness.

"What did my mother want?" Donna asked as she leaned in the doorframe of her laundry room where Harvey seemed to be engrossed in the process of folding freshly tumble-dried laundry.

Startled he whipped around to face her. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

Donna shook her head. "No, I think I've slept plenty as it is." She watched as he attempted to neatly fold a flimsy silk night shirt of hers. "I don't think Jola would approve of you messing with her system."

"Jola? As in _my_ cleaning lady Jola?" Harvey asked confused.

" _Our_ cleaning lady Jola. How did you think I chose the perfect match for you? I tried out several different maids until I found Jolanta- reliable, throughout and discreet, just like you wanted. She's at your place Mondays and Thursdays and she's here Tuesdays and Fridays." Donna explained.

"How did I not know this?" Harvey asked somewhat dumbfounded.

"Because Jola really _is_ discreet." She smiled at his expression.

"So you've had a cleaning lady of your own for all these years?" he asked smiling at the revelation.

"Ever since _we made Partner_? Yep." Donna confirmed.

"I'm starting to think I really overpaid you when you were still my secretary." Harvey answered, not without mirth.

"And I was still worth every penny." Donna laughed as she moved closer.

"Don't I know it." He replied as he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. Donna felt his hand moving up and down her spine through the blanket she still kept slung over her shoulder. "How are you feeling? Are you cold? I could run you a warm bath now, if you want?" he asked.

"Who knew that domestic Harvey was such a mother hen?" she asked playfully as she leaned into his embrace before adding "You better watch it, because I just might get used to that. And I think I'd rather take a quick shower now- I've already wasted all afternoon slumbering and it'll be easier for washing my hair." While she didn't need to wear the Velcro sling at all times, her range of motion in her busted shoulder was still pretty limited and she could hardly even lift her upper left arm. Not painlessly anyways.

"So, what _did_ my mother want?" Donna repeated her question as she let him lead her towards her bathroom.

"Well, she knew you were coming home today and wanted to know how you were doing. Also, she was curious why it was _me_ who informed her of your accident when it happened and was very intrigued why it was _also_ me answering your landline today. I think we need to tell your parents we're dating."

"I think that ship has sailed, mister. Give my mother some credit. I think she's just waiting for confirmation now. Might as well do it soon since it won't be long until we drop the next bomb on them", she answered. Burying her face in his shoulder she took comfort in the familiar smell of his aftershave. There were less than two weeks left to her first trimester and if everything was looking on track on her next appointment with Dr. Brown they were good to share the news of their impending parenthood. Donna hoped that she wouldn't start to show before then. So far she was confident that she wasn't, but she hadn't worn anything but loose pajamas and comfortable yoga clothes lately. Since most of her office attire was tailored to fit her usual, non-pregnant body just right, she feared she would probably have to toss out several of her favorite form-fitting choices by the time she was allowed back to work. It wasn't that she was vain, but she and Harvey sure could use a little more time to wrap her own heads about the fact that they were going to have a child before everyone else did.

Donna smiled as Harvey wordlessly helped her remove the sling and carefully eased her out of her sweater. "Do you need any assistance?" he asked when she turned to face him clad in only a sports bra and sweatpants.

"No, I think I can manage a simple shower by myself, thank you very much. Actually, do you mind if we have an early supper today? I'm famished." Donna admitted, knowing Harvey was less likely to hover while she showered if he was given a different task to do.

"I'm not surprised. You haven't eaten all day. What are you in the mood for?" Harvey asked.

"Nothing too spicy. I feel like eating carbs. How about Pasta?" she asked him.

"That's fine. I'll order in from Giovanni's, okay?", he offered.

"I love you. Now shoo and let me shower in peace." Donna told him playfully.

"Will do. Holler if you need anything", he told her before closing the bathroom door behind him.

Left alone, Donna stood facing her bathroom mirror and started to properly examine the fresh scars on her left shoulder. There were three of them in total; angry red lines on milky white skin. Two were right near her shoulder socket and one along her clavicle. Gingerly touching the still tender and slightly puckered line she could feel the small steel rod that was inserted to fix the fracture beneath her skin. This scar would be a pain hide in the future and Donna hoped that with the proper skin treatment she could at least reduce its visibility to a minimum.

Carefully she removed her sports bra. She had sent Harvey on a scavenging mission through her underwear drawer to find her a bra that was easy to put on and remove despite the immobilized arm during her stay in the hospital. At first he had brought a few strapless choices of lingerie and Donna soon realized that those were starting to grow a little too tight for comfort. Needless to say, Louis' 'stupid baby book' confirmed that her swollen bust wasn't only a figment of her imagination, but indeed a pregnancy symptom experienced even as early as the first trimester. Needless to say she had asked Harvey to bring her some sport bras from her yoga wear drawer instead, claiming they were more sensible for wearing in a hospital. However, this experience had her a little worried how much more her body would change in the oncoming months.

Turning to the mess that was her hair, Donny plucked the hair tie from the messy braid and carefully untangled the worst of the knots with her right hand. She would need to rinse her hair with lots of conditioner before even attempting to brush it. Resolutely she stepped out of her pants and into her shower. 'Home at last', she thought, as she turned on the comforting spray of water.

After showering for longer than was strictly necessary and washing away the icky feeling of what felt like a far too long hospital stay, Donna put on her bathrobe and went in search of fresh clothes for a lazy night on the couch. Opening the first drawer of the dresser in her bedroom, she heard Harvey clear his throat from where he suddenly appeared in the doorframe.

"Ah, just so you know: I may or may not have put some personal favorites right on top for future reference…", he admitted while unapologetically waggling his eyebrows.

"I knew you had way too much fun with that particular task. Although I'm afraid you might not get a chance to see those bras anytime soon- well, if ever." Donna explained, while gesturing to her chest with her right hand. "I think I need to go and buy new ones that actually fit really soon."

"Really?" Harvey asked incredulously as his eyes zoomed in on her breasts.

"Yes and you're an idiot", she replied smiling.

"What? You give me information like this and expect me not to verify its accuracy?" he replied in mock offence.

"Well, I'm not sure if there's even a visible change yet, but some of these do feel a little tight, yes." she answered while holding up one of the flimsy colorful bras Harvey purposefully picked for her. "But if you don't mind I'll stick with a more comfy choice for tonight, anyway."

Harvey's face softened immediately. "Of course, uh, that wasn't what I was suggesting. I heard the doctor loud and clear – no _strenuous activity_ for at least another week or two."

"When did you turn into such a considerate boyfriend, huh?" Donna asked smiling as she turned to open another drawer.

"I've always been considerate. I simply chose not to let this part of me show for just anybody." He replied, giving her his trademark Specter grin.

So there they were, in her bedroom, her wearing a bathrobe and him wearing jeans and shirt. Casual Harvey and Donna. It was then that she realized there were reaching a new level of intimacy in their relationship. The first few weeks after Mike and Rachel's wedding had been a whirlwind filled with lust and desire and they had barely gone a day without succumbing to it. In fact they had hardly done anything else when they had been alone together after a long day of work. It was like they were still the same old team that they had been on a professional level for years – only with added physical intimacy. However, first with the news of her pregnancy and her subsequent car accident things had shifted between them. Now they were spending time together simply for the sake of being with each other. The pregnancy forced them to open up to each other about their fears and hopes and dreams; topics they had always carefully avoided through all these years of platonic friendship. What made these talks easier for her was the fact that Harvey finally let his vulnerable side show. The iron mask of indifference to other people's lives which he wore like a protective armor ever since she met him had suddenly disappeared whenever he was alone with her and it gave her the comfort she needed to open up about her own insecurities. Wasn't her own "I'm Donna- I know everything and I can do anything"-mantra a mask just like his? It made her wonder if Harvey felt the same. Maybe those masks were why they had always been so well-matched and in the past never really successful at maintaining proper romantic relationships. It was still a work in progress, for both of them, but Donna couldn't help but feel that things were on the right track, for both of them.

They kept bantering while Harvey watched her getting dressed in fresh silk pajamas and a woolen cardigan until the food arrived. Harvey had picked her favorite Pasta dish, Fettuccine with Salmon and Spinach, Donna noticed.

"I can't remember that last time I did not have wine with pasta", Donna observed with a smile as she reached for her glass with sparkling water, "I must have been a teenager. Well, not yet 21 in any case. I guess it's going to take some time to get used to it again."

"I think there may have been a few instances where I had beer with pasta before." Harvey replied.

"That's like a mortal sin in a culinary sense, I think." Donna replied faking disgust.

"I blame my dad. He drank beer with pretty much anything. Never cared for wine." Harvey explained.

"Well, I don't think there's any beer in the fridge– but feel free to have some wine. It's not like you're the pregnant one." Donna offered.

"Nah, I'm good. I've heard that some people think that drinking by yourself is just miserable, but what I think really _is_ miserable is when you drink by yourself when you're _not_ alone." He elaborated.

"So, in the future there will be extra guests invited when we have late night drinks at the office?" Donna asked smirking.

"Wrong. There'll be extra guests when _I_ have late night drinks at the office." He corrected.

"No more scotch in the office. Another thing I'll have to get used to." Donna sighed.

"Well, it's only temporary." Harvey said.

"You say that now. We will revisit that conversation when the kid starts walking and goes straight for your mini bar." She mused, imagining a toddler making first attempts at walking by grabbing onto the little cart with its glass carafe and tumblers.

Harvey blanched. "I hadn't thought of that."

"I suppose we still have some time until we need to think of babyproofing our things." She replied.

After supper they both settled on the couch in front of her TV set and watched a movie in amicable silence. With her head resting in his lap she let Harvey absentmindedly play with her drying curls as they were both engrossed in the movie and their own thoughts. Donna didn't notice she was starting doze off until Harvey shifted beneath her. "Hey, no more falling asleep on the couch", he whispered in her ear. "Let's move this party to the bedroom."

Donna blinked at the clock on her side table. "Quite the party. Great food with non-alcoholic beverages, going through someone's underwear drawer, a movie and going to bed at 10pm. A true thirteen-year-old's dream."

"Leave out the underwear drawer and you have an example for an old peoples' date night. Now that puts a bummer on it." Harvey joked as he steered them both toward the direction of her bedroom.

After going through the routine of their nightly ablutions, Donna chuckled as Harvey once again tucked her in, adjusting her pillows so that her left arm was propped up comfortably. Because of her injured shoulder she could only sleep on her right side and considering she typically chose the left side of the bed this meant she was facing away from Harvey. He seemed unperturbed by this sleeping arrangement, though, as he slid under the sheets behind her and moved closer until he was spooning her from behind with his arm loosely circling her waist.

"I think I've forgotten how comfortable my own bed was." she sighed as she realized just how comfortable she felt compared to the recent nights spent in the hospital.

"Well, I'll also sleep easier tonight, knowing you're here with me and not causing trouble elsewhere." Harvey whispered into her hair as he drew her a little closer.

"Causing trouble? Me?" she asked mockingly.

"You heard me", he answered and Donna could hear the smile in his voice as she slowly drifted off to sleep.


End file.
